As Cowboys showdown looms, Giants’ Sterling Shepard craves Odell Beckham reunion: ‘That would be great for us’

We’ll soon know if headline-making wide receiver Odell Beckham will return to the Giants and help their push for a playoff spot.

One thing we already know: His pal Sterling Shepard wants him back in East Rutherford.

“It would be great,” Shepard told NJ Advance Media after the Giants lost Sunday to the Lions. “I don’t make those type of calls. They’ll do what they have to do [in the Giants’ front office]. That would be great for us as a team. Of course, having my brother here with me would be awesome. But I know some things have to work out for that to happen. So I’m praying for the best.”

Shepard, a receiver, is out for the season with a torn ACL, but has remained around the team and is on the sideline on game days. Between Shepard’s absence, Kadarius Toney being traded to the Chiefs, and Kenny Golladay underwhelming, the Giants’ receiver room has some major issues.

Plus, rookie receiver Wan’Dale Robinson hurt his knee Sunday. It’s unclear when (or if) he will be able to return this season.

So yeah, the Giants could use another skilled receiver. And even though Beckham, 30, is in the twilight of his career, he certainly fits that description, at least to some degree.

Beckham reportedly will make free agency visits to the Giants and Cowboys after Thanksgiving. Of course, the Giants play in Dallas on Thanksgiving. It’s a huge game, with both teams in the thick of the NFC playoff race. The Giants are 7-3 after Sunday’s 31-18 loss to the Lions, while the Cowboys improved to 7-3 by pounding the Vikings, 40-3.

The Giants, who lost at home to Dallas earlier this year, have significant injury concerns — beyond just Robinson’s knee — entering the Thanksgiving showdown. So winning in Dallas won’t be easy.

Beckham began his career with the Giants from 2014-18, then was traded to the Browns in the 2019 offseason by now-former general manager Dave Gettleman, who was replaced this past offseason by Joe Schoen.

The Browns released Beckham midway through last season, and he joined the Rams and won a Super Bowl ring with them. But he tore his ACL in the Super Bowl and hasn’t played since.

The Giants drafted Shepard in 2016, so he and Beckham overlapped for three years in East Rutherford. They have remained in touch and stayed close friends since Beckham’s departure. Could that be a factor, if Jerry Jones and Schoen make similar contract offers to Beckham?

And has Shepard made any sales pitches to Beckham during his extended free agency?

“Of course, man, but I can’t give you it,” Shepard said with a laugh.

It appeared, earlier this season, that Beckham might return to the Rams. But contract talks fizzled, as Beckham continued to rehab his latest knee injury.

Cowboys and Giants players alike — including Saquon Barkley, the Giants’ star running back — have publicly lobbied for Beckham to join them. (Barkley remains close friends with Beckham, too.)

Beckham visited the Giants’ training facility in early October to hang out with Shepard. But it wasn’t an official free agent visit, as Beckham did not speak with Schoen or head coach Brian Daboll. He was just in town to get together with Shepard, in the wake of his torn ACL.

But after Thanksgiving, Beckham will meet with Schoen and Daboll, during his official visit.

If Beckham does sign with the Giants, under Schoen, it would be a fascinating return, given how poorly things ended for him in East Rutherford, where he became a disruptive presence.

Not long before that, Beckham became a sensation with the Giants after they drafted him 12th overall in 2014 — 1,305, 1,450, and 1,367 yards in his first three seasons. He made the Pro Bowl in each of those seasons, but hasn’t made it since, partly due to durability issues.

He did have 1,052 yards in 2018 and 1,035 yards in 2019, his first season in Cleveland. But since then, his production has been modest — 319 yards in seven games in 2020 and 537 yards in 14 games last year.

Beckham had 12, 13, and 10 receiving touchdowns in his first three seasons combined (43 total games). In five seasons since then, he has 21 receiving touchdowns in 53 games. So while he isn’t the same dominant player that he was from 2014-16, he can still help the Giants’ receiver room, which clearly needs help.

He’ll need to stay healthy, of course. Three of his past five seasons have been notably limited by injuries — four games played in 2017, 12 in 2018, and seven in 2020. He has torn the ACL in his left knee twice in a short span — first in October of 2020 with the Browns, then in the Super Bowl.

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