Odell Beckham Jr. not guaranteed a roster spot with Giants, what are his chances of making team?

The New York Giants have brought back wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., but does he have a realistic shot of making the team?

The Giants signed Beckham, now 33 years old, to a new deal this week, reuniting him with John Harbaugh, whom he played under in Baltimore in 2023. Beckham spent the first five seasons of his career with the Giants after being selected in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. 

One of the best wide receivers in franchise history, the idea of bringing OBJ back to New York was a fun discussion this offseason, but one many never believed would come to fruition. It's notable that the Giants also signed Braxton Berrios and Juju Smith-Schuster on the same day they added Beckham. 

Adding three wide receivers in one day at this stage of the offseason is interesting. The signing of Berrios was clearly made to help cover the season-ending injury suffered by Gunner Olszewski, as Berrios can handle return duties. But the additions of Beckham and Smith-Schuster suggest that the team was just not totally satisfied with its wide receiver group. 

Jaxson Dart hits Odell Beckham Jr. on the slant pic.twitter.com/QfJFCiQiZk

As fun as the idea of having Beckham back as a member of Big Blue is, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports that there was no guarantee given to him that he will make this team. 

What are the chances of Odell Beckham making Giants' 53-man roster?

The Giants adding Beckham may be seen as a move due to the fact that the team wasn't satisfied with its group overall, but it could also suggest concern in the recovery of No. 1 wide receiver Malik Nabers, who is coming off a torn ACL and is going through what many feel is a slow recovery process. 

However, Nabers is obviously going to be the guy in this group. Here's what the rest of the depth chart currently looks like:

New York Giants wide receivers

We are going to assume that the Giants will keep five or six wide receivers when they set their 53-man roster following the preseason. From this group, the only players locked into a spot are Nabers and third-round pick Malachi Fields. 

Calvin Austin III and Darnell Mooney were the team's two additions once free agency began, but both of them should be questioning their statuses following these recent signings. 

Ryan Miller and Dalen Cambre will have a tough time navigating through this veteran-laden group. Beaux Collins was an exciting undrafted free agent for the team last year and he appeared in nine games for the team, but caught only two passes for 25 yards. He will be a candidate for the practice squad. 

Jalin Hyatt was a third-round pick for the team in 2023, but he has been an incredible disappointment for the team and his time has almost certainly run out. 

Berrios will likely compete with Xavier Gipson for the role that was held by Olszewski, unless Harbaugh and his coaching staff determine that player won't be needed. What does that leave? That would leave five players battling for three spots. 

Those five players would be Beckham, Mooney, Austin, Isaiah Hodgins and Darius Slayton. You would have to give Beckham strong odds to make the team under those circumstances. 

Beckham will have to earn a spot and he'll have to look a lot better than the last time we saw him when he was wearing a Miami Dolphins jersey, but he should also be reinvigorated in New York and ready to close his career on a high note. 

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