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New York Giants: Odell Beckham Jr. participates in minicamp drills (Video)

Six months after undergoing surgery to repair his broken ankle, New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was back on the field catching passes.

Say what you will about New York Giants superstar Odell Beckham Jr., but don’t say that the wide receiver doesn’t put in work.

Beckham, who dealt with a handful of injuries during the 2017 season before suffering a season-ending broken ankle in Week 5 against the San Diego Chargers, was back on the field Thursday for the first time since going under the knife, catching passes in drills at the team’s voluntary minicamp.

As ESPN’s Jordan Raanan notes, “it was just half-speed catching passes against another wide receiver serving as a dummy cornerback, but it was something. It was more than Beckham had done the previous two days.”

“It’s terrific,” head coach Pat Shurmur said of Beckham expanding his involvement, per Raanan. “We all know what a great player he is. He’s making progress to getting fully cleared. You can see he’s lively, involved, taking all the mental reps he can. It’s great.”

That said, Beckham has yet to be cleared medically for full participation in all the drills, so don’t expect to see him going all-out anytime soon. But that he’s on the field at all and able to do as much as he has is a good sign.

So too is the fact that he showed up to voluntary minicamp, something he didn’t attend last year. It’s a small gesture, but one that could go a long way as he looks to build a relationship with a new head coach and general manager in the final year of his contract.

You can be sure that it’s something his representatives will bring up if-and-when negotiations begin on a contract extension.

A healthy Beckham, along with Sterling Shepard, tight end Evan Engram, quarterback Eli Manning and running back Saquon Barkley, the team’s first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, gives the Giants the makings of one of the NFL’s most exciting, explosive offenses in 2018.

I've been dunked on by Shaq and yelled at by Mickey Mantle. ESNY Editor In Chief. UMass alum. Former National Columnist w/Bleacher Report & former member of NY Knicks Basketball Ops department. Nephew of Rock & Roll Royalty.