Malik Nabers didn’t participate in the New York Giants‘ joint practice with the Miami Dolphins. However, that opened the door for the veteran wideouts on the roster to shine. Odell Beckham Jr. and Darnell Mooney reportedly took the spotlight.
According to Jordan Raanan of ESPN, the Giants “won” the joint practice at every level, including the veteran wideouts. “Even during 1-on-1 drills early in practice, the Dolphins CBs couldn’t cover the Giants WRs. First two plays: Dart hit Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin for deep ball TDs… Odell Beckham Jr. put his defender in a blender and was open by 5 yards.”
Calvin Austin III also looked good and him going for a deep touchdown while playing primarily from the slot is actually impressive. However, the takeaway here is Mooney doing what he does best, and that OBJ is still running crisp routes despite his age and inactivity.
Malachi Fields also shone
Raanan also reported that “Malachi Fields made a tough, contested catch downfield.” Fields has been showing the Giants he should be the team’s WR2 behind Malik Nabers this season. Hence, it seems like the Giants offense is coming into its own.
Mooney, who has been quiet this training camp, might be ramping up his actions. The Giants added Najee Harris and the running back signing ended up impacting the receiving corp. Hence, no one is safe until delivering the goods.
Mooney and OBJ are in career-saving years
Odell Beckham Jr. and Darnell Mooney could perfectly be trying to salvage their NFL careers. In the case of Mooney, he was a certified WR2 for most of his career with really good years. However, in three of his last four years he hasn’t reached 500 yards.
As for Beckham, he has not appeared in an NFL game since 2024 and injuries hurt him bad. He hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2019 and is not viewed as a top-tier weapon anymore. At 33 years old, this is his last chance at being relevant on an offense.
