Odell Beckham Jr. suffered an ankle injury after taking a nasty helmet to knee

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. left the team’s preseason game against the Cleveland Browns following a low hit in the second quarter on Monday night. The team announced he suffered an ankle sprain on the play. The 24-year-old was also tested for a concussion and cleared.

For now, Beckham appears to have escaped serious injury. But his availability for Week 1 is up in the air, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jordan Raanan.

The Giants said Tuesday that the team does not yet have a timetable for Beckham and Brandon Marshall, who suffered a shoulder injury on Monday.

Beckham tried to turn up the field following a reception early in the second quarter when he took a hit at the legs from Cleveland cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun. The wideout landed hard on his left shoulder as a result of the collision, which came before he was able to regain his footing after jumping to grab the ball.

After the play, Beckham headed to the locker room and bent over on the ground.

Things looked more positive when Beckham could be seen by ESPN’s cameras walking on the Giants sideline following the beginning of the third quarter.

After the game, Beckham said, “it feels like a sprained ankle.” When asked if he’ll be ready to play the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 of the regular season, he replied, “I think I’ll be all right.”

Why the hit vs. OBJ was legal

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

A huge shame? Yeah. Illegal? It doesn’t look like it.

This was Beckham’s first game of the 2017 preseason after sitting out the Giants’ first exhibition game against the Steelers. He typically doesn’t play much in these meaningless games given how high of a level he’s already operating at. There’s not much need for him to build chemistry with quarterback Eli Manning, who has been his partner on the field for years.

Still, the Giants wanted to get him reps against the Browns on Monday with the season just a few weeks away, so he was out there in the first half. The main goal, more than anything, was to ensure that Beckham would remain healthy.

This play underscores the risk of letting superstars play in the preseason. There’s not a ton to be gained from having someone like Beckham out there for games that don’t count. The risk, on the other hand, is massive if he’s suffered an injury that keeps him out an extended period of time. Then again, Beckham showed during the eclipse that he’s not afraid of living dangerously.

Hopefully Beckham will be good for Week 1 of the regular season, but this will have given the Giants a scare either way. Both sides are probably best off having him on the sideline for the rest of the preseason, no matter how serious his current injury is.