New York Giants
New York Giants

There was a welcomed sight on the New York Giants practice field on Tuesday as Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins was a participant at OTAs. Meanwhile, Odell Beckham Jr. created other waves. 

New York Giants Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins returned to the practice field on Tuesday for the first time since having a second surgery on his right forearm that he broke in last season’s Week 16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Collins was wearing a red jersey participated in defensive back drills. He also took part in 7-on-7 as well as 11-on-11 drills on a limited basis.

Right now, it’s unknown when Collins will be cleared to return to practice on a full-time basis, but the Giants are hopeful he’ll be cleared by training camp in July.

After practice, Pat Shurmur answered a question on whether or not Collins is ahead of schedule.

“I don’t know what his schedule was, but yeah, he was out there competing in a limited basis and he’s trying to do everything he can as he finishes up his rehab.”

Collins has led the Giants in tackles in each of his three seasons in the NFL and has been voted to the Pro Bowl the past two seasons. He may have his best season to date in 2018 as it’s expected that he’ll roam all over the field in defensive coordinator’s James Bettcher’s 3-4 defense.

If he can be cleared by training camp, it will be a huge plus for the Giants heading into the season.

Another Giants Pro Bowler player whose season was cut short last season is Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham fractured his ankle in Week 5 last season, and although he participated in receiver drills last week, he’s still not been cleared to practice.

Beckham was not at practice on Tuesday, but Shurmur spoke about him and questions about OBJ’s contract situation following practice.

“Dave [Gettleman] said it already. Contracts will get done when they get done. We are not worried about that. My experience with Odell has been that he wants to play football and he has been looking forward to getting out here. He isn’t quite finished with his rehab yet, so he can’t do everything totally. With regard to the rest of your question, we will cross that bridge when we get there.”

Shurmur also said that he believes Beckham is close to being cleared to practice.

The Giants having their best players on offense and defense back in the mix is one of the reasons there’s optimism in the building at this very moment.

Jason's first love was football while growing up in northern New Jersey. For the past three years, he has covered the New York Giants, as well as several boxing events along the East Coast.