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Odell Beckham Jr.: Did He Really Play All Season With Injured Hamstring?

By Kenneth Teape

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Anyone who wasn’t living under a rock throughout the NFL season knows the exploits of New York Giants’ rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham made an eye-popping catch that almost broke the internet against the Dallas Cowboys, which punctuated arguably the greatest rookie season ever for an NFL player. Numerous rookie and NFL records were set, with some ongoing until next regular season starts. Would you believe that he did it all playing at less than 100 percent?

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Beckham made some headlines at the NFL Pro Bowl Sunday, revealing that he is not actually over the hamstring woes that delayed the start to his NFL career. Beckham suffered his first hamstring pull in his first practice with the team in offseason workouts, then again in the preseason. It caused him to miss the first month of the season for the Giants, yet he still out together a season for the ages.

“I was never fully healthy,” Beckham said following his five reception, 89 yard performance in the Pro Bowl Sunday night. “…I was just trying to manage it and maintain it. … It’s still not right. [I’m] still working on it.”

Beckham added that it was a “long process” for his recovery, one that would surprise people to hear that he has not yet fully overcome. One person who found it hard to believe was Denver Broncos’ cornerback Chris Harris Jr., who had the task of guarding Beckham Jr. during Pro Bowl practices and found it hard to believe he wasn’t fully healthy.

“Man, if he said he wasn’t at full speed, that will get your attention. He looked pretty full speed to me.” – Chris Harris Jr., Denver Broncos Cornerback

If you asked every player that had to defend Beckham Jr. this past season, Harris Jr. would surely not be the only one surprised that he wasn’t fully healthy. The extent of the injuries he played with during the season were never discussed in depth, but a hamstring tear can be as severe as what Beckham Jr. dealt with prior to his debut, or as simple as a strain. Every strain or sprain is technically a tearing of muscle, so when he says he played the season with two there is varying levels of severity.

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He was taken out of games on occasion because of the injury, a precaution so that they didn’t sideline him again. He also discussed sometimes how certain plays or routes he felt he was hampered to do to his full ability because of the hamstring, and would take the foot off the throttle so that he could play the entirety of the game instead of just a couple drives.

There is a chance had he been fully healthy that he could have been able to give it a go on those certain plays, but how much would it have truly affected his stats? Beckham Jr. was a monster this season, racking up 91 catches for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in only 12 games, which should result in the receiving of the Offensive Rookie of the Year award this upcoming weekend.

The real discussion should be what his stats would have looked like with a full 16-game slate. Had he and Eli Manning reached the level of comfortability and chemistry they were clicking with the last nine games of the season, when Beckham Jr. surpassed 90 receiving yards in every game, in Week 4 instead of Week 9, who knows what could have happened. We could be discussing out of the greats seasons for a receiver in NFL history in general, not just compared to other rookies.

That is something Giants fans can look forward to next season, as a fully healthy Beckham Jr. would undoubtedly bring more highlight worthy plays. Having Victor Cruz opposite of him should also be a boon to production, as defenses will not be able to focus solely on him, as Cruz, prior to his injury, demanded defenses attention as well. It will truly be a treat to watch Beckham Jr. and the Giants offense next season, one that looks like it could be potent.

Next: Who Were the Top 25 Athletes in New York Last Year?

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