Inside the Giants' WR Battle: Can Odell Beckham Jr. Win the Final Spot?

With four roster spots locked and two more spoken for, an old friend could steal the last seat in New York's receiver room.

Jun 3, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) talks with media after organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Giants are going to have some difficult decisions to make this year during training camp. The interior defensive line is full of bodies that were brought in to stop the run.

The team will need to decide which combination to keep. There is uncertainty in the secondary, and there will be serious discussions about what the offensive line room will look like.

None of those position groups have the intrigue, practicality, name recognition, and flexibility of the wide receiver group. It is the position battle that will be the most interesting to watch throughout Giants training camp.

The Giants and the Ravens (Coach John Harbaugh's former team) kept six receivers on the 53-man roster in 2025. If we operate under that assumption here, then the competition in the receiver room breaks down multiple ways.

The Locks: Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Malachi Fields, Darnell Mooney

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When having this discussion, all of the "what ifs" become nauseating and have way too many variables to make any educated proclamation, so we will just assume Malik Nabers is going to be healthy for the 2026 season based on the fact that they purposely chose not to designate him for the PUP list.

Nabers and Fields are no-brainers; one is the WR1 and the other is the 2026 third-round pick that the team forfeited draft capital to acquire.

Slayton has a contract that would not be beneficial to cut and might be traded away, but there would need to be a suitor, and it would still need to be enticing enough for them to take a $6 million cap hit.

Mooney was given a contract and incentives that say the organization wants to see what he will be able to bring to this offense. That only leaves two spots to fill.

The Specialists: Calvin Austin III, Braxton Berrios

need a punt returner with Gunner Olszewski out for the season. Calvin Austin III and Braxton Berrios bring extensive experience as punt returners and slot receivers, but both attack the job from different angles.

Austin is a burner who boasts 4.32 speed in the 40-yard dash. He is a third-level attacker as a receiver and a “feast or famine” return man.

He had a 73-yard punt return against the Giants in 2024, but he only has an 8.9-yard career average. That is because he will run laterally looking for a lane to attack so he can hit a big play.

Jun 3, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Calvin Austin III (82) catches the ball during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The former All-Pro Berrios only has a 44-yard career long punt return, but his career 11.4-yard average is better than Austin’s. 

He is more of a reliable, sure-hands returner who is calculated and looks for the easy path to a positive return instead of always trying to score. He is the baseball equivalent of a singles hitter compared to a home run hitter like Austin.

At 30 years old, Berrios is three years older than Austin, and that could factor. Both have similar veteran minimum contracts that should not sway a front office decision. It is also hard to see either player being a long-term piece of this team. So when you add in all the factors, Berrios makes the most sense.

Jun 3, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Braxton Berrios (87) participates in drills during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He is the most sure-handed of the two; he has both punt and kick return experience, and the receiving corps has several receivers who provide speed to take the top off the defense. It does not mean Austin can't make it, but it knocks him down into the group of guys competing for the final spot.

The One Spot

You know all the names; that is what makes it so juicy. The biggest and most nostalgic name is Odell Beckham Jr., an absolute star for the Giants in his prime, who was unceremoniously shipped to Cleveland and has had a long, winding road to return to New York for one final chapter in his book.

The question becomes: Does he still have enough juice in the tank to usurp a bunch of younger options who might also be valuable members of the special teams?

JuJu Smith-Schuster is another big name who has long passed his elite status as a WR1, but still provides great value as a movable chess piece on an offense. Austin and Jalin Hyatt are both speedsters looking to take the top off the defense.

Isaiah Hodgins and Beaux Collins are big-bodied receivers that could add special teams depth. Some think that Eric McAlister should get signed as well to join Xavier Gipson, Ryan Miller, and Dalen Cambre.

Jun 9, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) makes a catch during the minicamp activities at Quest Diagnostics Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ultimately, many of those names will be camp bodies or possible additions to the practice squad, and the final spot will come down to a few names. Beckham, Smith-Schuster, and Austin can all play, and they all duplicate something the team already has.

In the end, the storyline behind Beckham and the amount of attention he will draw will be too much for the front office to ignore. After all, football is a business, and what better storyline for the business of football than having Beckham back?

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