EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Round 2 just didn't work out for Odell Beckham Jr with the New York Giants. After no catches and just 19 snaps in three games, coach John Harbaugh thought releasing the veteran receiver was the best move for the team and his offense.
Beckham, in his second stint with the team, was released Tuesday. Harbaugh explained the decision on Wednesday.
"Had a great conversation with Odell and it's tough," he said. "But we just weren't getting enough. It just wasn't working for us. And like I told him, I wanted to be able to get more. I wanted him to be able to do more. I wanted to get him on the field more.
"Whatever reason, we weren't able to do it. Put it on us. We weren't able to get it done. At this point in time, that's kind of where we were and we needed to move on."
The Giants are now moving forward with wide receivers Braxton Berrios and Charlie Jones having been added to the active roster this week. New York wanted more out of the roster spot occupied by a fourth wide receiver who offered no special teams value.
Beckham, 33, worked his way onto the roster with a strong summer. He needed it because it was made clear when he signed in the spring that there wasn't a roster spot guaranteed. The season apparently wasn't guaranteed either.
The veteran receiver now is a free agent.
"I hope he lands somewhere. I mean, he's a great friend," Harbaugh said. "I love the guy and I hope he lands somewhere and gets a shot. I think he's determined to, and it'd probably be a better situation for him. It just wasn't working here. And that's really all that needs to be said."
Beckham wasn't the normal bottom-of-the-roster wide receiver. He was drafted by the Giants in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft and began his career with three straight seasons of at least 1,300 yards receiving. He was a fan favorite, a favorite of the grandkids of the owners.
Giants fans were chanting, "OBJ! OBJ! OBJ!" in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 12-7 win over the Tennessee Titans. They wanted something, anything, from the former Pro Bowl receiver.
But Harbaugh insists the attention that Beckham drew by his mere presence didn't have anything do with the move.
"It's what's best for the team. That's it," he said. "And if you think it's anything else, then you don't know me and you don't know what we're doing here. ... I'm not hiding anything. It's not Watergate."
Beckham's not the only change for the Giants' offense since the start of the year. They also lost quarterback Jaxson Dart for at least the remainder of the regular season because of a knee injury.
Dart underwent surgery Friday to repair the meniscus and MCL in his left knee.
"The docs said it went well," Harbaugh said. "It was as expected. They saw what they thought they would see and just fixed it. Timeline doesn't really change too much."
Harbaugh thought Dart tweeted out something about being back for the start of the playoffs. As of Wednesday afternoon, he hadn't.
"Maybe he just texted me that," Harbaugh said.
The playoffs start in less than four months. The Giants (2-1) are moving forward with Jameis Winston as the starter and traded for J.J. McCarthy as a contingency earlier this week.
That will likely be the Giants' quarterback combination for the remainder of the season. Even Harbaugh admitted the under-four-month timeline might be a "little ambitious" for Dart, who has been in constant contact with his teammates and has started to move around for the first time in recent days.