The New York Giants need offensive playmakers, but unfortunately for at least another week, it appears Odell Beckham Jr will not be one of them. The Giants have gotten off to an 0-2 start for the second straight season as their offense has yet to truly appear in sync and the need of another big target on the field is pretty great. Beckham has yet to be seen on the field for the Giants after injuring his hamstring and likely will not be active Week 3 despite earlier reports.
Giants fans are patiently waiting for the arrival of Beckham after the team drafted him in the first round back in May. The wide receiver is expected to take over for Hakeem Nicks who departed in free agency, but so far has made zero impact for the team. Beckham started his NFL career with a hamstring injury in training camp that has yet to heal itself.
According to head coach Tom Coughlin, Beckham will not be activated for the Giants' matchup against the Houston Texans. The wide receiver has been seen working out and some believed he could reappear at practice this week, but Coughlin told the media that to his knowledge, Beckham would not be practicing with the team this week and therefor would not be playing on Sunday.
The Giants need the rookie. Right now, two-thirds of the league are recording more passing yards than the Giants. Jerrel Jernigan was placed on injured reserve after a mid-foot sprain ended his season. Victor Cruz is dropping every pass thrown his way. Rueben Randle is struggling with his chemistry with Eli Manning. Preston Parker, Julian Talley and Corey Washington are competing for snaps in wake of the rookie's absence. The Giants need Beckham healthy, but unfortunately they might have to wait another week.
Manning continues to stress that everything is fine with the team's offense and he is confident that improvement comes. While he stresses confidence, rumors are swirling that the quarterback could be playing his final year with New York if improvement does not come quickly. Forbes Magazine notes that Manning's $19.75 million cap hit could entice the Giants to attempt to trade him in the near future if he continues to struggle. The quarterback is coming off two poor seasons and is not getting younger. Will it happen? Unlikely, but improvements do need to be made.