Somewhere, Odell Beckham Jr. is probably snickering.
He may be doubling-down on that after GM Dave Gettleman refused to acknowledge him the other day.
With Golden Tate’s four-game suspension due to substance abuse, the Giants’ promising receiving Corps with Beckham suddenly looks depleted.
It is actually unthinkable of what has materialized in a short time.
First it was Sterling Shepard with his thumb, then Corey Coleman with his ACL, and now Tate all within 24 hours.
They also lost Darius Slayton with a hamstring and have veteran Brittan Golden and rookie Alex Wesley sidelined.
It now falls upon the oft-injured Evan Engram to likely lineup as a wide receiver with Rhett Ellison Assuming the role of the blocking tight end.
There were immediate band aids with the signings of free agents T.J. Jones and Amba Etta-Tawo.
They will join the limited core of Russell Shepherd, Cody Latimer, and Bennie Fowler, all of whom have made some splashes over the past five years.
With Beckham gone, it was supposed to be a solid, productive, low profile trio of Sterling Shepard, Tate, and Coleman along with the developing Engram to alleviate some pressure off Saquon Barkley.
But that will have to wait until at least the fifth game of the season – barring a successful and unlikely appeal from Tate – to see if the new approach cam work.
It will mean more of an emphasis on Barkley from offensive coordinator’s Mike Shula’s playbook as well as opposing defenses, who will stack the box.
This also will affect the Giants’ defense, which will apply some added pressure on them as they to find their identity with some new faces in the first few weeks.
This will also be a test on Gettleman to see if he can find suitable replacements for the trio.
The one silver lining in the Giants’ favor is that it is still early in camp. If this happened in late August, it would have been a much bigger challenge.
Life without Beckham emphatically hit a wall.
The scramble is on, and you know we haven’t heard the last from Beckham.