Giants Mailbag: Can Odell Beckham Jr. Still Make an Impact, and Will the Offense Lean Less on Jaxson Dart's Legs?

In our latest edition of the weekly New York Giants On SI mailbag, receiver Odell Beckham Jr takes center stage as the wide receiver competition just took an interesting turn. Can OBJ give the Giants anything worth a roster spot, or is this whole signing just a courtesy move?

If you ever have a question you’d like considered for a response, e-mail it to us, or post a “tweet” to us @Patricia_Traina with the hashtag #askPTrain so we see it.

All About OBJ/Receivers

Jun 3, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) participates in drills with teammates during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

From Kris Kauffeld (@dublk52): Is there any reason, a better scheme, to think OBJ can make more of an impact with the Giants than he did in Miami?

Never say never, Kris. But I have questions. Is he truly 100%? How many snaps is he going to be able to give them after missing last season? Remember, in Miami, he played in 9 games and got only 18 targets, catching 9 for 55 yards.

Was that, again, because he wasn’t healthy? I have so many questions about what kind of impact OBJ will actually make on the field. I don’t think he’ll be what he was during his first go-round.

I think at the end of the day, it comes down to his opportunities and what he does with them. I’ll be curious to see how much more he gets mixed into the offense in minicamp and training camp, but right now I am still not sure exactly what his role will be.

From Scott S. (via e-mail): Why is everyone seemingly romanticizing the return of Beckham? He was a selfish and detrimental player while he was here. I just don’t see the upside outweighing the risks and chronic character issues. I can’t see a scenario where this ends well for the Giants.

Scott, thanks for the letter. Have you considered that Odell has grown up and shed much of the stupid behavior he exhibited during his first campaign? I don’t know about you, but I did a bunch of stupid things when I was in my late teens-early 20s that if I could go back and smack some sense into my younger self, I would.

People change as they go through life, many for the better. Age and experience are often the best teachers, and Odell has gone through quite a lot since those early days.

I can’t speak for you, but I believe it’s time we give the guy the benefit of the doubt that maybe, just maybe, getting older and becoming a parent has opened his eyes to what a knucklehead he was earlier in his career.

Regardless of whether he makes the roster, this is a feel-good story for a number of fans and for people in the organization who were here when OBJ was drafted. If he does make it and contributes to a successful season, will you still be clinging to the stupidity he showed as a young kid, or will you be cheering him on?

And if he doesn’t, he can retire as a Giant, which is what I think he wanted all along. Bottom line is, I think Harbaugh has the chops to keep order in the locker room, unlike other head coaches who had trouble with OBJ’s larger-than-life personality. So until I see otherwise, I have to disagree with your belief that this doesn’t have the potential to end well.

From KAV (@@jirzeegrl): Which WRs do you believe will make the final roster?

This is a tough one because, obviously, injuries and where guys are in their rehabs will factor into the equation, as will how they do in camp–you can’t really gauge where they are competitive-wise during OTAs given the lack of live contact and the non-padded practices.

Since Harbaugh mentioned something about potentially keeping six receivers, my six–and I’m putting Malik Nabers on the PUP list to start the season, so he won’t count against the roster–are Odell Beckham, Jr, Darius Slayton, Malachi Fields, Calvin Austin, Braxton Berrios, and JuJu Smith Schuster.

Concerns About Jaxson Dart

Jun 3, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) throws the ball during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

From Jack C. (via e-mail): My biggest concern for the Giants this season is Jaxson Dart. I obviously have high hopes for his career, but oftentimes the 2nd year is a struggle for QBs. Do you think this team will lean on Skattebo, Singletary, and Tracy? With the additions of Ricard and Sisi, I would assume yes, but can they win games this way?

Jack, thank you for the letter. I assume your biggest concern with Dart is his tendency to take risks as a runner, based on what you wrote.

I don’t think they’re necessarily going to drop RPOs from the offense, but I do suspect they’re not going to lean as heavily on designed runs as they did last year. Dart has often spoken about being smarter with the risks he takes, and until we see otherwise, we might as well take his word for it.

Can the Giants win if they base their offense on a power running game? Why not? They did okay with that in 2008 and back in the 1980s. But in all honesty, I think they need to develop a balanced offense if they truly want to be a powerhouse.

Coaching's Role in Team's Past Struggles

Former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

From Joe G. (via e-mail): A lot has been written about Banks, his regression, his "last chance," etc. No one has delved into not just his regression, but so many others. How come no one talks about the possibility of all the regression being blamed on poor coaching, not fixing why they all went backward?

Joe, first, thank you for the letter. I have been talking about the coaching for months and suspected that a factor, and I think that, given the coaching staff was fired and replaced with an entirely new group, validates the idea that the coaching was the problem.

That said, it might be best for all of us to stop dwelling on the past and look forward to what appears to be a bright future for this team.

Scrambling Fran

Former NFL quarterback Fran Tarkenton | Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY

From Howard R.: How come the Giants never retired Fran Tarkenton's number 10? He still holds a ton of NFL quarterbacking records. I don’t get it.

Howard, Tarkenton spent only five of his 18 seasons with the Giants. While a very good player and multi-year Pro Bowler, he went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Vikings, which is why the Giants didn’t retire his jersey number after he was traded back to Minnesota, who did retire his No. 10.

Ironically, No. 10, which Tarkenton wore during his time with the Giants, is now retired, albeit for Eli Manning who was the last to have worn it.

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