Odell Beckham Jr's first words and message to Giants fans after earning his way onto final 53-man roster
OBJ came back to New York with nothing to lose, and John Harbaugh rewarded his hard work.
When Odell Beckham Jr. signed with the New York Giants this summer, it was an emotional moment for him and for Giants fans who loved him during his first stint with the franchise. But OBJ had a tough hill to climb.
At 33 years old with various injuries sapping his otherworldly athleticism, Beckham was far from a lock to make the final 53-man roster. He also had plenty of competition in the wide receiver room. Malik Nabers , Darnell Mooney , Malachi Fields , and Darius Slayton were practically locked into the top four depth chart spots. But everything broke right for Beckham.
Free agent signing Calvin Austin III suffered a season-ending injury, paving the way for OBJ to compete with Jalin Hyatt and Isaiah Hodgins for one roster spot. On Sunday, Beckham won out, with head coach John Harbaugh opting to keep the veteran onboard over the other two.
Odell Beckham Jr. had a very strong training camp and grinded his way to a roster spot
Harbaugh spoke consistently this past week about what a great camp Beckham had. He earned his spot on the team the old-fashioned way . And once he did, OBJ made sure to leave Giants fans with a hopeful message, via Josina Anderson .
I am excited. I found out when I was walking off the field. Coach [Harbaugh] said congratulations and he said that I worked hard. I told him I will give him everything I got. He said, 'Let’s go do it'. After that I went to the locker room and I just dapped up my teammates. Jameis (Winston) definitely gave love and so did Jaxson (Dart). Everybody gave me love. Now I just got to go get it. I have one more gear to go; one more gear in me. I came to New York to give my all, and that's what they’re going to get out of me. To the city, to the fans, I love you.
It's unclear at this point in time what kind of role Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy envision for Beckham. One would expect a very part-time role for OBJ to start, but if his strong training camp continues into the preseason, his role could expand rather quickly.
