On Sunday night, the New York Giants will kick off their season against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium.
For the Giants, the 2026 season brings more optimism than years past. Last season, the team started the season with veteran Russell Wilson, who was on the downturn of his career. Now, the team is ready to hand the keys to last year’s first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart. After the trio of Dart, Skattebo and Nabers only played a handful of snaps last season, the trio is finally all expected to be available for New York at the same time.
Additionally, Sunday’s game will also mark the return of Odell Beckham Jr. to meaningful regular season action with the New York Giants after his departure from the team in 2019.
Odell Beckham Jr.’s Return to New York
Ahead of the game, Giants Wire’s John Fennelly listed the return of Beckham Jr. as one of the storylines to watch in Week 1.
Fennelly wrote: “OBJ might get his own cameraman on Sunday, too. The former All-Pro wideout comes back to the Giants after eight seasons and is one of only four wide receivers the team has on the current roster, so he’ll see the field on Sunday night. When he does, the crowd will welcome him warmly, and if he makes a splash in the game, look out.”
Prior to his departure, Beckham Jr. was one of the most successful receivers in Giants’ history. Dan Salomone and Matt Citak wrote for the Giants website prior to Week 1: “In just 59 games with the Giants from 2014-2018, Beckham climbed all the way up to second in franchise history in receiving yards (5,476) and fourth in both receptions (390) and receiving touchdowns (44). His 92.8 receiving yards per game is the highest average by any Giants player with at least 50 games played by a wide margin, with Homer Jones being the next closest at 66.4.
The 33-year-old needs just six receptions to move ahead of Joe Morrison for the third-most in Giants history. Meanwhile, with five more touchdown catches, Beckham would move up to second on the franchise’s all-time list, passing both Morrison and Kyle Rote.”
Despite the wide receiver missing the 2025 season as he remained unsigned, and lacking productivity with the Miami Dolphins in 2024, it appears the spotlight will be on the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.
New York Giants Wide Receivers
Perhaps surprisingly, Beckham Jr. earned a spot on the 53-man roster. After Beckham Jr. made the team, Giants head coach John Harbaugh said, “It’s kind of unheard of, in some ways, to be away for so long to come back. I don’t know how many times this has actually been done. It would be interesting to see, but the odds were probably against him, I would say. He overcame the odds and did it.”
Despite being a long shot to make the roster, Odell is now only one of four wide receivers on New York’s roster after the team released veteran Darius Slayton. While they are expected to bring back Braxton Berrios, that will mostly be for special teams duties.
Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. Put on Notice Before Cowboys Game