Odell Beckham Jr. wasn’t with the New York Giants for a long time, but he was here for a good time. While the reunion that took up nearly the entire summer ended after only three games, the fact that OBJ made his long-awaited return and earned a roster spot seven years after being traded away at least made the whole experiment worthwhile.
On Tuesday, the Giants ended the nostalgia experiment and released the 33-year-old after he couldn’t even carve out a role in a shallow receiver room. Odell played only 11% of the offensive snaps, seeing one target with no catches for zero yards and zero touchdowns over the first three games of the season.
For all the attention his return received this summer, No. 13 never got the chance to give Giants fans one more reason to lose their minds, and while that’s a major bummer, it makes sense.
But for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Following OBJ’s release, New York got busy, sending Brian Burns to IR, elevating Braxton Berrios and Charlie Jones from the practice squad, and signing P.J. Mustipher to the P-Squad.
Giants waste no time reshuffling roster after Odell Beckham Jr. release
The Berrios move was essentially inevitable. The return ace/slot receiver has been bouncing back and forth between the active roster and P-Squad the whole season.
The 30-year-old has become an integral part of New York’s special teams unit over the past three weeks, averaging 27.6 yards per kick return, and the G-Men had already used all of his standard practice-squad elevations.
So, if they wanted Berrios returning kicks against Arizona and beyond, it was time to give him a permanent seat at the 53-man table. Beckham’s departure conveniently opened one up. The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder will also fill some break-glass-in-case-of-emergency depth in the slot.
Jones is a little more interesting. Burns officially landing on IR opened another roster spot, and instead of immediately using it to add another pass rusher, Big Blue promoted the 27-year-old receiver. Like Berrios, Jones brings return experience to the special teams group while giving a suddenly OBJ-less receiver room another guy.
Of course, none of these moves make losing Burns hurt any less. The 28-year-old tore his ACL during Sunday’s 12-7 win over Tennessee and is expected to miss the rest of the season, leaving Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux with a heck of a lot more responsibility coming their way.
And then there’s Mustipher, who worked out for the Giants on Monday before officially joining the P-Squad. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound defensive lineman has appeared in 19 NFL games, including 15 with the Arizona Cardinals (who New York plays next), and gives coach John Harbaugh another massive human being to stash and develop.
None of these moves are going to break the internet or make the G-Men playoff contenders, but that’s roster management for ya. Odell’s release opened the door for Berrios, while Burns’ injury did the same for Jones. And Mustipher gives the Giants another space-eater in case the season goes any more off the rails. Needless to say, the transaction wire got its steps in on Tuesday.
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