One of the biggest stories at New York Giants training camp this summer was the return of former All-Pro wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. after eight seasons away.
The Giants signed Beckham as a free agent after they liked what they saw in workouts and added him to their 53-man roster. The football world was eager to see what the 33-year-old had left, if anything.
Three weeks into the season, everyone is still waiting for the answer. Beckham has been active in both of the Giants' first two games, but has played just 14 snaps. He has no receptions, mainly because the Giants have not targeted him.
On Friday, head coach John Harbaugh was asked if this Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans at MetLife Stadium would be a good time to finally integrate
OBJ into the offensive game plan.
"That's a great question," Harbaugh replied. "I would think Sunday would be great. I would be all for it for Sunday. That would be the perfect time in my mind. So, I hope that happens this Sunday."
This week, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy was asked a similar question regarding Beckham's usage.
"We're trying to probably slowly package him in some things offensively. So, it's not that he's just a backup," said Nagy.
"There are some times when, whatever it is personnel-wise, that we have it on the game plan. We just didn't get to it. Or, ‘Hey, you've got to be ready. One injury away from being in all the time.’ And he knows that. He understands that. And I think probably just for us to be able to just him know that and just keep staying in your book and in the packages, we have for you, get in there and go do your thing."
So far, the Giants have run the ball 47 percent of the offensive plays. They have thrown the ball 61 times over the first two games.
Wide receivers Malik Nabers, Malachi Field, and Darnell Mooney have been targeted a combined 28 times. Tight ends Isaiah Likely (18) and Theo Johnson (5) have drawn 23 targets. The remaining 10 targets have gone to running backs.
Odell hasn't gotten a look yet, but it's coming.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Odell Beckham Jr. could figure into Giants' game plan vs. Titans
