Odell Beckham Jr. might actually get back on the practice field for the Giants, and soon.
That was the word Wednesday from Tom Coughlin, who said the rookie first-round pick was “getting close” to returning to action after missing most of the first two weeks of training camp with a hamstring injury.
Beckham isn’t likely to play in the Giants’ preseason matchup Saturday against the Steelers at MetLife Stadium, but it sounds as if Big Blue considers next week a realistic goal.
“[The Giants’ trainers] have him doing a lot of things, and they’re going to push him a little bit more [Wednesday] and then they’re going to get a quarterback to throw to him and see how that goes, too,” Coughlin said before Wednesday evening’s practice. “So he’s getting closer.”
Beckham has been on Coughlin’s bad side because of hamstring issues that have plagued him almost from the moment the Giants drafted him 12th overall out of LSU in May.
Beckham missed most of the team’s offseason and minicamp work, then re-injured the hamstring on his first route of the first day of training camp last month when he got his foot caught in cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie’s shoelaces.
The hamstring problems have caused Beckham to fall behind in the race for playing time at wide receiver. The Giants will be using plenty of three-receiver sets, but Beckham’s woes have enabled the inexperienced Marcus Harris to get snaps alongside starters Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle.
Coughlin voiced his frustration last week about Beckham’s unavailability for anything except fielding punts in practice.
“”We’re trying to put a team together,” Coughlin said. “We saw too much of [Beckham missing time] in the spring.”
Special teams coordinator Tom Quinn said the duel between veteran Josh Brown and newcomer Brandon McManus for the placekicking job is as close as it seems to outsiders.
Brown is a reliable, 12-year veteran, but McManus has a big leg and converted a 47-yard field goal Sunday in the Giants’ 17-13 win over the Bills in the Hall of Fame Game.
“You guys have seen it every day,” Quinn said. “They’re both competing and have really strong legs. They both have pretty good accuracy at this point. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.”
Quinn, though, appeared to tip his hand later.
“Brandon will really have to beat [Brown] out in all areas to win the job, and he knows that,” Quinn said.
Former Giants tight end Jake Ballard retired because of lingering problems from the devastating knee injury he suffered in Super Bowl XLVI.
“My body never felt the same,” Ballard said in a statement. “Having a quality of life after football is very important to me and I have witnessed it taken away from others. I will miss the game tremendously, but I am ready for this next chapter in my life.”
Ballard was waived by the Giants in 2012, then had brief stints with the Patriots and Cardinals before hanging it up.
Coughlin said he doesn’t expect kick-return ace Trindon Holliday to return anytime soon from a hamstring injury.
After noting how close Beckham is to returning from the same injury, Coughlin said: “I wish Trindon Holliday were in the same boat. It doesn’t seem like he’s quite as far along.”