It sounds like Odell Beckham made Giants’ cut

John Harbaugh did not come out and say it directly, but he said enough.

Odell Beckham Jr. will likely make the Giants‘ initial 53-man roster.

“Yes, he has done enough to make an NFL roster, for sure,” the head coach said Friday night after a 23-6 win over the Jets in the preseason finale. “He’s played well. He’s gotten better as camp’s gone along. He deserves credit for that. He’s done a really good job with it.”

Harbaugh obviously left himself some wiggle room. There are 31 other NFL rosters, after all. But finalizing Beckham’s return to Big Blue has felt like a foregone conclusion since Calvin Austin suffered a season-ending ACL tear in practice. Teams conventionally carry six wide receivers and the math is in Beckham’s favor with Austin out of the picture. That injury is not the only reason Beckham will make the club — he did have a good preseason — but it is a big one.

Now the question becomes how much Beckham, 33, will be used. The Giants keep signaling Malik Nabers will be ready for the season opener against the Cowboys on Sept. 13. Rookie Malachi Fields appears to be the No. 2 wideout. And the expectation is the Giants will run a good amount of two-tight end sets. So there will only be so much room for a third wideout and Beckham has to contend with Darnell Mooney and Darius Slayton there. And given Beckham won’t play special teams … he could even be a healthy scratch on game days. So the actual on-field impact of his presence remains to be seen.