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The New York Giants were one of many busy teams on the first day of June yesterday as they added three new wideouts to a position in their locker room that’ll now be overflowing with big names.
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It all began a little after 11 AM yesterday with the announcement of the signing of WR Braxton Berrios, an eight-year NFL veteran who’ll be wearing his fifth different uniform in his professional career. Berrios has never had a particularly eye-popping season in his time as a pro, as his 2021 campaign with the Jets resulted in 46 receptions and 431 receiving yards, both personal records. He may have a small chance to make the roster on special teams, as he’s returned 91 kicks throughout his tenure in the league, but CB Deonte Banks showed immense promise in said role towards the end of 2025 for the G-Men, and continued success in that regard could give him the lock on the position. All in all, Berrios’s odds of making the 53-man roster are blurred at best and slim at worst, although he should have a better case to make the final cut ahead of the likes of Jalin Hyatt and Beaux Collins.
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The news of the day came less than an hour later, as after over a year of speculation, it was announced that WR Odell Beckham Jr. is set to return to where it all began as he’ll suit up for the Giants for the first time since 2018 this upcoming fall.
Beckham Jr. became an almost overnight sensation for Big Blue back in 2014, as the young dynamo from LSU hauled in 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in only 12 starts after a hamstring injury stalled his debut by 5 weeks. His iconic, anatomy-defying touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys on a Sunday Night in November of that year has since etched him out his own space in the 100-plus year history of the NFL as owning the greatest snag of all-time which deserves an article all its own.
Beckham would become one of the NFL’s top receivers from 2014-2016, accumulating 288 receptions, 4,122 yards, and 35 touchdowns over that short span. A fractured left ankle would sideline him for the majority of the 2017 season, although he would return to moderate production as part of an exciting duo with rookie running back Saquon Barkley in 2018.
Since being traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2019, Beckham mostly failed to replicate his success with the G-Men, having only one season of 50-plus receptions back in 2019 with his new team. When it seemed as though his stride may have finally returned to him after a trade to the Los Angeles Rams midway through the 2021 season, including a touchdown in a winning effort during Super Bowl LVI, he also tore his ACL during that very same contest, an injury he’s never truly recovered from productivity-wise despite stints with the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins in the aftermath.
Beckham will be looking to provide a spark for the Giants and their fanbase as he brings years of veteran experience, especially in playing under the bright lights of the biggest city in the world. He should be able to provide wisdom to young receivers such as current WR1 Malik Nabers (assuming he’s healthy this season) and the incoming rookie wideout Malachi Fields.
Finally, New York closed out the signing of big names with the addition of another former star; WR JuJu Smith-Schuster.
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Smith-Schuster once represented a bright future for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the late 2010s, forming a terrifying tandem with perennial All-Pro Antonio Brown for the first two years of his career, earning himself a Pro Bowl appearance in 2018. After Brown’s highly publicized departure from the Steel City in 2019, Smith-Schuster, became the new lead receiver in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, JuJu would fail to continue his early momentum outside of a well-played 2020 season. Although he would play a pivotal role in aiding the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl title in 2022, the 29-year old wideout has failed to eclipse more than 33 receptions in a season since; even after appearing in 31 of 34 games over the last two years. Smith-Schuster will attempt to reclaim the fire that made him one of the league’s top young stars at the end of the last decade.
The General Consensus
With all of the speculation regarding the health of the Giants No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers, this was a smart move. Although New York claims they’re still “hopeful” that Nabers will be able to play in week 1 of the regular season, they’ve seemed to be very secretive with his health and this move definitely pulled back the curtain a tad. The Giants have just cashed in their insurance policy, signing all three of these aforementioned vets to one-year league minimums according to reports, and outside of Berrios (sorry buddy) each of these moves provides at least some form of intrigue to what is now a very crowded wide receiver room in East Rutherford. A return to the place of his greatest success could be just the right amount of motivation Beckham Jr. needs to finish his career strong, while Smith-Schuster is still young enough to make a return to a Pro Bowl level of output himself.
-Jack Barber
Works Cited
https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/16733/odell-beckham-jr
https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/3120348/juju-smith-schuster https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3123075/braxton-berrios
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