Giants’ Eli Manning: Odell Beckham Jr. can still improve
Get breaking news and SI’s biggest stories instantly. Download the new Sports Illustrated app (iOS or Android) and personalize your experience by following your favorite teams and SI writers.
The New York Giants are hoping 2016 will be the year they make a trip to the playoffs for the first time since winning the Super Bowl in 2011, and quarterback Eli Manning believes that star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will need to step up for this to happen.
Speaking before the team’s first off-season workout on Monday, Manning said that the All-Pro needs to “raise his level.”
“There are things he can work on and we ask a lot of him,” Manning said, according to the New York Daily News. “He's required to know a lot of different routes and a lot of techniques and exactly how to do it. That’s the way he’s going to get a lot of balls and be in position to do a lot of things.”
• Report: Titans GM trying to trade up from No. 15 draft pick
Beckham has led the Giants in receiving over the last two seasons, hauling in 187 receptions for 2,755 yards and 25 touchdowns.
The team’s second-leading receiver last season, Rueben Randle, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in the off-season. Victor Cruz has also struggled to stay on the field with leg injuries.
Manning is not just counting on Beckham, however, and looks for the team’s young receivers to improve.
“There’s some young guys, there’s some guys that have been around a little bit,” Manning said. “We need them to step up and make some plays for us.”
