Odell Beckham Jr. is officially coming to town.
The former Giants wide receiver will make his much-anticipated free agency visit this coming week, according to NFL Network. He plans to break bread with the Giants on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 1-2 as a stunning return to the organization remains on the table.
Beckham is then expected to meet with the Cowboys on Monday, Dec. 5. And there will also reportedly be a trip to the Bills after that, although no date has been set.
Put the debates about whether the Giants should be granting this meeting (they do not have much choice for myriad political reasons) or whether they should entertain bringing Beckham back (absolutely not). The more important takeaway from this news is the fact the goal posts keep shifting with the mercurial wideout.
FOX reported on Nov. 6 — three weeks ago — that Beckham was days away from being medically cleared after he tore his ACL in the Rams’ Super Bowl win over the Bengals in mid-February. Yet Beckham is only beginning to take visits almost a month later. And based on the reported meeting schedule, he may be hard-pressed to sign with a team before the end of Week 14. And after that, who knows when he might play? From the report:
Where is he rehab-wise? One source with direct knowledge of his rehab said Beckham has been fully cleared from his ACL injury suffered in Super Bowl LVI. But that’s not all of it.
Now it’s about getting up to speed football-wise with football-type activity. And while he’s been working hard, there is only so much Beckham can replicate without being on a team. That will take time.
But upon signing with a team, the expectation is that he’ll be healthy enough to go.
The plan was to have all the rehab hurdles cleared by Thanksgiving, and he’s hit that checkpoint. Now, it’s about picking a team.
So are you getting Beckham for the final 4-5 games of the regular season? Or the final 1-2? There is a colossal difference. Especially if you are a team like the Giants that might be on the periphery of contention whenever Beckham is ready to play. Not to mention the myriad reasons why they should stay far away from a reunion.
James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com
