WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. -- Odell Beckham Jr. strung together his second straight strong day at practice Wednesday as he tries to revive his career.
The veteran wide receiver is trying to reinvent himself with the New York Giants -- the team that drafted him a dozen years ago -- after almost two years out of the NFL.
Beckham, 33, likened himself to a football version of LeBron James.
"I'm just trying to be present each and every day, and prove to myself that I am who I know I am," he said. "Everybody likes to talk about, 'Is he going to be this, that?'
"And I'm like, 'LeBron James used to take off before the free throw line, and now if he's taking off with his foot right in front of it. He's still got a different game, but he's still playing at a high level.' I believe that I can play at a high level."
Beckham caught four passes during live drills Wednesday, including one where he beat the defender and raced down the right sideline after hauling in a pass from Jaxson Dart.
It was the second straight day Beckham worked his way into first-team reps with the Giants' second-year quarterback.
"I think it's just normal ebb and flow. He's working hard and he got some balls that came his way and he made some great plays," Giants coach John Harbaugh said.
Beckham is part of a large group competing for a sixth or seventh wide receiver spot along with Braxton Berrios, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Dalen Cambre.
The Giants' crowded wide receiver room also includes Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin III and rookie Malachi Fields, a third-round pick in this year's draft.
Beckham said he believes he's getting "better" every day at training camp, but not having special teams value could work against the three-time Pro Bowler when the Giants have to make final roster decisions.
Harbaugh made it clear when the Giants signed Beckham in the spring that he would have to earn his roster spot. That caused hesitation with his signing earlier in the year, but Harbaugh and Beckham had a long conversation about the possibility that he could get cut.
Now, he's in the midst of competition for a roster spot unlike at any other time throughout his career.
"I mean, I kind of like it. My boy texted me, he's like, 'This is where you thrive. Pressure,'" Beckham said. "When I have pressure, I live for it. Tatted on my finger. And to me, I feel like if it's something that's not like -- if we were just messing around, playing HORSE, we're playing, we're not playing for $100, I might lose. But you put the $100 on there, and then, hypothetically, you know what I'm saying? And like I'm going to -- I want to step up to the big of the moment."
The last time Beckham played in an NFL game was 2024, when he caught nine passes for 55 yards in nine games with the Miami Dolphins. His last full season with a team was in 2023 with the Harbaugh-coached Baltimore Ravens, when he had 35 catches for 563 yards with three touchdowns.
"People like to talk, 'What are the stats and all these things,'" Beckham said. "And I'm like, 'The last time I played at the Ravens, I had 35 catches and 600-plus yards and [three] touchdowns. If you double that, that's 70 catches, 1,200 yards -- it's a great season.
"So, it's about how many opportunities you get, knowing that I may not be getting 10, 12 targets. What am I going to do with the five or six that I get? How can I help all the other receivers and the running backs, and how can I help this team? What can I bring? I'm not so much caught up in what numbers are going to be, I just want to be the best me that I can be. I want to get open and create separation, catch the ball, hopefully score a lot, and have fun. That's really all it is for me."
