Odell Beckham Jr. Is Six Catches From Giants History. His Role Decides When.
Beckham sits fourth on the franchise's all-time reception list. John Harbaugh still won't say how many targets he'll get.
Odell Beckham Jr. needs six catches to pass Joe Morrison for sole possession of third place on the Giants' all-time reception list. Whether he gets there Sunday against Dallas, over several weeks, or not at all this season depends on a role coach John Harbaugh still hasn't defined.
Beckham caught 390 passes for the Giants across 59 games from 2014-18, Giants.com's own franchise records show. Morrison holds third with 395 catches, according to Football Database's career-receiving leaders for the franchise. Giants.com separately confirmed Beckham is five receptions from tying him. Five catches ties Morrison. Six passes him outright.
The top of the list is out of reach. Amani Toomer holds the franchise record with 668 receptions, and Tiki Barber sits second with 586. Beckham isn't closing that gap in one season.
Harbaugh has declined to define Beckham's role in specific terms. Asked about it Aug. 31, he said: "He'll be in that receiver group. I mean, he'll be rotating in in different personnel groups, and he'll be playing."
That's a rotational role, not a starting one. The Giants' depth chart as of Sept. 9 lists Malik Nabers and Darnell Mooney as the starting receivers, with Beckham behind them.
He's shown he can still win targets in that role. In the preseason finale against the Jets on Aug. 29, Beckham led the Giants in targets with six, catching three for 53 yards, Giants.com's game recap shows.
One thing has changed in his favor since that finale: the Giants released Darius Slayton on Sept. 7, removing a receiver who had been listed ahead of Beckham on the team's initial August depth chart. Whether that translates into more snaps for Beckham hasn't been reported by the team — it's a reasonable inference from a thinner receiver room, not a confirmed plan.
GiantsGator found no public comment from Beckham on the reception record. His remarks since making the roster have focused on returning to the Giants and reclaiming his old number, not on any statistical target.
How often Beckham is targeted each week — the role Harbaugh still hasn't defined — will determine how fast he catches Morrison, not what happens in any single game.