As was expected to be the case for the last two months, veteran receivers Darius Slayton and Odell Beckham made the New York Giants’ Week 1 roster.
Never mind Slayton’s history of drops or his recovery from ongoing sports hernia surgery. Forget that Beckham has played 37 games since the start of 2020 and turns 34 in November. Both always felt like locks, even amid the recent speculation about a Slayton trade.
Although they survived final cuts, that’s not to say both will suit up every Sunday. Ahead of the final preseason game, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan speculated that either receiver could be a game day scratch.
Duggan also made a similar prediction about running backs Devin Singletary and Tyrone Tracy Jr., though he noted that the latter has an advantage due to his special-teams value.
What are the New York Giants’ plans for Darius Slayton and Odell Beckham Jr.?
For now, the Giants are carrying five receivers: Beckham, Slayton, Malik Nabers, Darnell Mooney, and rookie Malachi Fields. Although Braxton Berrios was waived, he is expected to land on the Giants’ practice squad.
Nabers is obviously a lock to suit up each week, and there’s no reason to think that Fields would be inactive. It remains unclear whether the Giants will sign Berrios to the 53-man roster within the coming days.
That leaves Slayton, Beckham, and Mooney. Given his impressive summer and his familiarity with John Harbaugh, it’s difficult to envision the Giants designating Beckham as a gameday scratch.
We’ve previously proposed the Giants target former Browns receiver Cedric Tillman, who was released ahead of final cuts. As of Monday morning, no receivers who had either been cut or were currently on 53-man rosters had been credibly linked to the Giants.
As we said last week, the Giants might as well trade Slayton if they’re not going to activate him every Sunday. He’s a 29-year-old receiver who has stuck around for far longer than he should have. There has to be at least one team willing to give up a future draft pick.
And by no means are we suggesting that Beckham will find the Fountain of Youth. The passing game will be built around Nabers and tight end Isaiah Likely, and there’s optimism buzzing around Fields and tight end Theo Johnson.
The Giants currently have four tight ends on the 53-man roster: Likely, Johnson, Chris Manhertz, and Thomas Fidone II. Additionally, you should expect All-Pro fullback Patrick Ricard to line up at tight end as he did in Baltimore.
However, Manhertz and Ricard are primarily used as additional blockers. Fidone, a 2025 seventh-round pick, did not have a reception in seven games last year.
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