Getty The Giants hosted another former NFC East WR ahead of OBJ's visit.
Odell Beckham Jr. will still be in the building for the New York Giants this week, but that isn’t stopping the team from casting a wide net for help at wide receiver.
Beckham, the prized name still available in free agency, will visit on Thursday, December 1. It could mark the first step toward the three-time Pro-Bowler returning to the NFC East, with the Dallas Cowboys also firmly in the mix for his signature.
Perhaps looking for insurance in case they can’t convince OBJ to sign up for a second tour, the Giants worked out another wideout who once plied his trade in the division.
Ex-Rival An Obvious Replacement for Injured Targets
Adam Humphries had a tryout with Big Blue on Monday, November 28, according to ESPN’s Field Yates:
The receiver-needy Giants tried out veterans Adam Humphries and Malik Taylor.
QB Kaleb Eleby – recent pick of the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL – was also a part of the workout.
Although he wasn’t the only free agent the Giants cast eyes over, Humphries is the most important name on the list. Important because the wideout who played for the Washington Commanders (then known as the Football Team) in 2021, would be an obvious replacement for two injured pass-catchers.
Specifically, Humphries has the attributes to replace Sterling Shepard and rookie Wan’Dale Robinson. Those attributes include the ability to play in the slot and mine the underneath passing zones for tough catches and quick yards.
Humphries has been doing those things since he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He averaged over 10 yards per catch in three of his four years with the Bucs, including in 2018, when Humphries enjoyed his best season by making 76 receptions for 816 yards and five touchdowns.
Humphries joined the Tennessee Titans in 2019 but moved to Washington after two seasons. His best game with the Burgundy and Gold came against the Giants in Week 2, when Humphries snared seven catches for 44 yards.
He also made his 300th career catch against former team Tampa Bay in Week 10:
This is a HELL of a pass from Taylor Heinicke and a great catch by Adam Humphries.
Oh boy. That was pretty.
The play saw Humphries (13) break inside from a stacked alignment, then break outside on a double move to make a nice grab and keep the chains moving on third down. Those are the attributes the Giants need for their underneath passing game.
Shepard has been able to provide them when healthy, but the oft-injured wideout tore his ACL against the Cowboys in Week 3. Robinson, this year’s second-round pick, appeared to be growing into the role before he suffered the same injury during an otherwise breakout performance against the Detroit Lions in Week 11:
Wan’Dale Robinson vs Lions:
• 13 targets (led team)
• 9 receptions (led team)
• 100 yards (led team)
The Giants rookie WR had himself a DAY 🔥
Quarterback Daniel Jones was beginning to build a rapport with Robinson, and the struggling signal-caller needs another reliable, short-range target to fill the void. Especially if the Giants can’t add big-play specialist Beckham.
Giants Hedging Bets on OBJ
Beckham will get December started with a two-day visit with the Giants, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, but the same reporter noted the in-demand receiver “will meet with with the Cowboys on Dec. 5.”
Additionally, Rapoport revealed Beckham and former Los Angeles Rams teammate Von Miller “have had a dialogue” about the 30-year-old joining the Buffalo Bills. Beckham and Miller helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI last season, and the Bills are better positioned than the Giants, in terms of talent, to end this campaign playing for the Lombardi Trophy.
The same is true of the Cowboys, who have beaten the Giants twice, most recently 28-20 on Thanksgiving Day. Dallas is loaded on defense, has better depth at running back and more options at receiver.
Beckham may resist the lure of the familiar to choose between stronger contenders than the Giants. If so, Humphries wouldn’t set pulses racing as a consolation prize, but the 28-year-old would act as a useful complement to deep threat Darius Slayton.
Humphries would also provide invaluable intel about the Commanders, whom the Giants face twice in the next three weeks. Its a critical two-game tilt against a suddenly in-form 7-5 team that will have major implications on a tough playoff race in the East, per PFF:
The entire NFC East would be in playoffs if the season ended today 👀
It’s a race where the free-falling Giants, on a two-game losing streak, need all the help they can get.