New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is less than two weeks away from potentially ending a nearly eight-year touchdown drought.
Well, more specifically, he hasn’t caught a touchdown in a Giants uniform since Dec. 2, 2018, when Eli Manning was still the quarterback. Considering that Manning is approaching his third year on the Pro Football Hall of Fame ballot, it’s an understatement to say it’s been a long time since the MetLife Stadium crowd celebrated a Beckham score.
But after surviving final cuts, Beckham has a realistic opportunity to find himself back in the end zone. Calvin Austin III’s ACL tear and the mounting concerns about Darius Slayton and Darnell Mooney only work to Beckham’s advantage, despite him only playing 23 games since the start of 2022.
The summer provided flashes of what Beckham and Jaxson Dart could do together, and the partnership could have an impact on the Giants’ record books.
Odell Beckham Jr. is closing in on the New York Giants’ all-time receiving touchdowns record
Entering the 2026 season, Beckham has 44 receiving touchdowns in a Giants uniform, and is only five scores away from passing Kyle Rote for second-most in franchise history. For those unfamiliar with Rote, he was a running back/receiver from 1951-61 and a vital part of the 1956 championship team. He’s also a member of the Giants’ Ring of Honor, where he’ll likely eventually be joined by Beckham.
Beckham needs four touchdowns to surpass Joe Morrison, another receiver/running back who spent 14 years in New York. He might be more recognizable for Giants fans only because the team retired his No. 40.
However, Beckham still needs 11 touchdowns to overtake Amani Toomer for the top spot. The three-time Pro Bowler hasn’t reached double-digit scores since 2016, so he’d probably need multiple seasons to match Toomer’s 54.
Even if Dart forces him the ball like he’s running a “Madden” offense, Beckham is unlikely to reach Toomer's 668 catches or 9,497 yards. However, he only needs six more catches to pass Morrison for second-most among Giants receivers; Tiki Barber ranks second on the all-time list with 586 catches.
That raises the question of whether Harbaugh and Joe Schoen view Beckham as someone who could be in New York beyond the 2026 season. He turns 34 in October and has battled injuries throughout the 2020s, but he’s a fan favorite and played for Harbaugh in Baltimore. If he performs at a competent level, why wouldn’t the Giants consider bringing him back next year?
That said, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. We don’t even know whether Beckham will officially suit up against the Cowboys in Week 1 or if he’ll be a gameday scratch. But with how sharp he looked throughout offseason workouts and the preseason, we’re expecting him to be a focal point of the opening night offense.
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