Most observers are choosing to temper expectations for Odell Beckham Jr.’s return to the New York Giants, given the veteran wide receiver is 33, has torn his left ACL twice and last played the during the 2024 NFL season, but one former Giants rival isn’t fazed by those concerns and instead predicts a “huge” contribution from OBJ.
Former Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall told Hard Rock Bet, Beckham “can have a huge impact. Experience is so valuable, and you’re talking about someone who was one of the best players at his position. Someone who became one of the biggest stars in the league after making one of the best plays of all time.”
Hall, a former top-10 draft pick who became a three-time Pro Bowler and finished his career with 43 interceptions, knows all about Beckham’s enduring talents. In fact, Hall revealed it was OBJ who had the biggest influence on the end of his playing days.
Multiple matchups against Beckham qualify Hall to speak about the seasoned pass-catcher’s current value to the Giants. Value Hall sums up in three key ways.
Confident Odell Beckham Jr. Forced Rival to Call it Quits
He was in the winter of his career when Beckham first took pro football by storm as the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, but Hall remembers how facing the Giants’ best receiver twice a season impacted his decision to retire.
Hall admitted, “When I went up against him, that’s when I knew it was time for me to retire. That dude just moved differently.”
GettyHall used his matchups against Beckham to make a major decision about his career.
Beckham moving “differently” isn’t simply limited to his physical attributes. Not according to Hall, who also highlighted how “the confidence he plays with is infectious. When you have a guy who feels like he can win every one-on-one, it rubs off on every player in that locker room. I think the Giants needed someone with that type of bravado.”
Confidence is an intangible, but Beckham bringing some swagger to a rebuilding team will do Big Blue no harm. The Giants are set to be upstarts under new head coach John Harbaugh in 2026, so a senior player with a ‘why not us?’ mentality can only help hasten a turnaround.
Ultimately though, the Giants need Beckham’s impact to be more than just an attitude adjustment. He must be a credible target for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart, particularly while go-to receiver Malik Nabers remains sidelined while getting over multiple surgeries.
That’s a tall order since Beckham is no longer enough of a force to make any cornerback contemplate retirement. It’s why the Giants wisely added three safeguards to Beckham’s contract.
Fortunately, Hall is convinced OBJ possesses two vital qualities to still succeed as a wideout at this level.
Giants Need to Count On Ageing Wide Receiver
Hall has observed Beckham several times this offseason, and two things have stood out. Namely, movement and hands.
As Hall put it, “I saw Odell run up and down and get in and out of his breaks. To me, it looks like he still has it.” Sill “having it” entering an 11th season will mean Beckham relying on core traits that haven’t eroded with age.
One of those traits is how Beckham moves out of his breaks. Hall pointed out “From what I saw during OTAs, he still looks good. We saw him play in the NFL flag football games, and I thought he was still moving really well.”
Beckham’s exposure to this offseason’s Fanatics Flag Football Classic event also showcased another of his time-tested talents. Specifically, the knack for making highlight-reel catches like this one-handed snag in traffic at the back of the end zone.
This was classic Beckham, whom Hall credits with “some of the best hands I’ve ever seen.”
Beckham’s flair for contested catches, allied with subtle movement to find space in zones, can be invaluable in Dart’s development. The latter is learning important skills, so he needs the help of savvy receivers.
Beckham and fellow Super Bowl-winning veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster can provide the answers Dart and the Giants will need during Nabers’ absence.
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