Biggest winners, losers following Giants' flurry of wide receiver signings

Biggest winners, losers following Giants' flurry of wide receiver signings

The New York Giants made headlines on Monday by adding three wide receivers to the roster after holding private workouts. 

Of course, the move that is going to grab the most attention is that the team has chosen to reunite with former first-round pick Odell Beckham Jr. The long-rumored move was made official and Beckham will now join a suddenly deep wide receiver corps with a chance to show that he can still make plays in the passing game. 

Selected in the first round out of LSU in 2014, Beckham spent the first five seasons of his career with the Giants before being traded to the Cleveland Browns. He has since had stints with the Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins

In addition, the Giants also added Braxton Berrios, a move made in response to the season-ending injury suffered by Gunner Olszewski. Berrios can take over for Olszewski as a kick and punt returner. 

Finally, the team also signed veteran wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster to add even more depth. But all of these moves raise some questions. Who benefits from these moves and who should be worried? What do they really mean?

Giants winners and losers from signings of OBJ and others

Winner: Jaxson Dart

The Giants’ starting quarterback has to be excited that the team is willing to go out and make sure they have enough talent for him to get the ball to. After also adding Isaiah Likely this offseason, the organization is clearly trying to help the second-year quarterback grow in the best way possible. 

Loser: Jalin Hyatt

There is some chatter out there about Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt wearing jersey No. 13, Beckham’s old number. It seems unlikely that Beckham won’t have that number, should he want it, one way or the other. 

It was already going to be difficult for Hyatt, a former third-round pick in 2023 who has been a large bust to this point, to make this year’s 53-man roster, but these moves may have already sealed his fate. It’s likely that Hyatt will have to take his talents and his 36 career receptions elsewhere for the 2026 season. 

Winner: Giants fans

Regardless of what OBJ still has left in the tank, Giants fans have to be thrilled that he is getting a chance to end his career where it started. It was a rumor that started several weeks ago and many fans hoped it would come true. On Monday, it did. 

Losers: Calvin Austin III/Darnell Mooney

The Giants needed to address the wide receiver position this offseason in free agency and their answer was to sign Calvin Austin III and Darnell Mooney. Both players are experienced and capable, but neither of them has done much to jump off the charts in the NFL. 

With the additions of Beckham, Smith-Schuster and Berrios, the team currently has 14 wide receivers on the roster. Though it’s likely one or more of them will be cut to make room for these players, Mooney and Austin are going to have to battle to even make this team, let alone get significant playing time. 

Winner: OBJ

Of course, the biggest winner of these moves has to be Beckham, who you can only imagine is ecstatic. He has played under John Harbaugh before and will be given every chance to make this move a huge success. Arguably the best wide receiver in team history, he’ll have a chance to add on to his career numbers, where he ranks fourth in team history in receptions, second in receiving yardage and fourth in touchdown catches. 

Losers: Malik Nabers fantasy football managers

The elephant in the room regarding this deal is the health of Malik Nabers. How healthy, or not healthy, is he? How worried should we be about his knee injury? Adam Schefter reported that the team doesn’t know when he’ll be back, though the hope is that he’s ready for Week 1. At the very least, it’s a concern. 

Biggest reason Giants will regret first-round selection of Francis Mauigoa

At best, these moves were made as a precaution. But it seems more likely that the coaching staff and front office believe they didn’t have enough at the wide receiver position and are at least slightly worried about Nabers’ status. Either way, his fantasy football managers are going to have to sweat it out. 

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