The Giants have placed Odell Beckham Jr. and Dwayne Harris on IR, and signed Travis Rudolph and Tavarres King:
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Odell Beckham, Jr. will not play football again in 2017.
The Giants today placed Beckham and fellow wide receiver Dwayne Harris on injured reserve after both were hurt in the 27-22 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers yesterday in MetLife Stadium. Harris will undergo surgery tomorrow to repair a fractured fifth metatarsal. Beckham will have surgery at some point this week to repair the fracture to his left ankle. It has not yet been scheduled.
"I spoke to (Beckham) after the game," coach Ben McAdoo said on a conference call today. "It's a sad situation."
Two more wide receivers, Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard, were also hurt in the game, both in the second quarter. The team said Shepard is day-to-day with a sprained ankle, while Marshall was undergoing further testing and examination today on his ankle.
The Giants re-stocked their suddenly decimated wide receivers corps with a pair of familiar faces in Tavarres King and Travis Rudolph.
King, who was waived on Sept. 18, was re-signed, while Rudolph was signed off the practice squad. They will team with Roger Lewis, Jr. as the Giants' new trio of receivers when they face the Broncos Sunday night in Denver.
"Next man up," McAdoo said. "They're well-deserving of opportunities. You hate to see it like this, but it's a part of the game."
The Giants signed wide receiver Darius Powe to replace Rudolph on the practice squad.
Beckham was hurt with four minutes remaining in the dispiriting loss that dropped the Giants to 0-5. He leaped high in an attempt to catch a pass from Eli Manning. When he came down, Beckham's ankle got caught beneath cornerback Casey Hayward and bent in a way ankles are not supposed to bend. Beckham was immediately surrounded by members of the team's medical staff and quickly carted off the field.
Beckham's loss is immeasurable. He is the Giants' most dynamic and exciting player, and most importantly, is widely considered the team's best and most valuable player. This season, he leads the team with 25 receptions for 302 yards and three touchdowns, including a 48-yarder yesterday, despite missing the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys because of the sprained ankle he suffered in a preseason game in Cleveland on Aug. 21.
The 12th overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, Beckham averaged 96 catches, 1,374 yards, and just under 12 touchdowns in his first three seasons with the Giants. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in each season. Beckham is the only player in NFL history to record at least 80 catches and 1,000 receiving yards, and at least 80 catches and 10 touchdown receptions, in each of his first three seasons.
Harris does not have a reception this season but is the Giants' leading kickoff and punt returner. He is averaging 20.9 yards on nine kickoff returns, and 6.9 yards on seven punt returns.
King, 6-1 and 192 pounds, played in seven regular season games and caught two passes for 50 yards in 2016. In the NFC Wild Card Game in Green Bay, he led the team with 73 receiving yards on three catches, and scored the Giants' only touchdown on a 41-yard pass from Eli Manning.
King spent most of the 2015 season on the Giants' practice squad. In 2014, he caught two passes in two games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. King, who caught 136 passes at the University of Georgia, entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft choice of the Denver Broncos in 2013. The Giants play in Denver on Sunday night.
Rudolph, 6-0 and 190 pounds, was signed as a rookie free agent from Florida State on May 11. In the four-game preseason, he led the Giants with 157 receiving yards on nine catches. The Giants waived Rudolph on Sept. 2 and signed him to the practice squad two days later.
In 39 games at Florida State, Rudolph caught 153 passes for 2,311 yards (15.1-yard average) and 18 touchdowns. He acquired a huge legion of fans off the field when he joined several Florida State players on a visit to Montford Middle School in Tallahassee. When the group entered the crowded cafeteria at lunchtime, Rudolph saw a boy eating by himself at a large table. So he walked over and sat down with Bo Paske, an 11-year-old sixth grader with autism who was often alone at lunch. Photos of the two eating together went viral, and Rudolph earned widespread attention for his compassionate gesture.
*Linebacker Jonathan Casillas (burner) and safety Landon Collins (sprained ankle) are both day-to-day.
*Powe spent the entire 2016 season on the Giants' practice squad. He was waived on Aug. 23.
