New York Giants star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will not play Thursday night in the preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns.
According to a report from ESPN’s Josina Anderson, New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will not participate tonight in the preseason opener. Beckham is coming off an ankle injury that sidelined him for the majority of 2017. He hasn’t played in an NFL game since October 8 of last year, over ten months at this very point.
#Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. is not expected to play tonight in the team's first preseason game vs. the #Browns, barring a change of decision. S Landon Collins (forearm) is expected to play, per sources.
— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) August 9, 2018
This decision by the Giants to hold Beckham out was due to multiple reasons. For one, coaches would prefer to make sure Odell is 100 percent for the regular season opener on September 9. It’s a situation that brings upon high risk and almost no reward whatsoever.
In a 2017 preseason matchup against the Browns, Odell suffered a leg injury. This also sidelined him for the regular season opener against the Cowboys. The Giants were able to piece together little to no offense in that game against Dallas, as they put up three points on the board.
He’s already proven himself as a generational NFL talent, and there’s never been really any point to play him during the preseason. Saying that, there are numerous players who Giants fans and coaches will have their eyes on tonight. Rookie running back Saquon Barkley will be seeing his first NFL action, coming off an offseason where he was one of the most hyped players in the entire NFL draft.
Everyone will also be able to get a look at Giants backup quarterback Davis Webb. Not having drafted a quarterback with the second overall pick, the Giants seem confident Webb could be the future in New York. He’s received little to no action on the field in the NFL, so Thursday night’s game should be able to show us the potential Webb contains.
The New York Giants and Cleveland Browns are scheduled to kick off at 7:00 p.m. EST on NFL Network.
