Odell Beckham Jr. is making progress — slow but steady progress.
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if the star wide receiver will make his regular season debut Monday night against the Lions at MetLife Stadium.
Friday, for the second straight day, Beckham practiced, but was limited, after being sidelined since Aug. 21 with a high left ankle sprain. He even made a left-handed grab during the portion of practice open to the media.
“He responded well to treatment,” coach Ben McAdoo said. “He responded well to his work [on Thursday]. Got a little bit more today, but he’s still limited.”
Wide receiver Roger Lewis Jr. said Beckham “looks like he’s improving.”
Right tackle Bobby Hart (ankle) and linebacker Keenan Robinson (concussion) returned to practice on a limited basis after being held out Thursday. Robinson was wearing a non-contact jersey and remains in the concussion protocol, where he has been since suffering his second concussion of the preseason Aug. 18.
Hart is day-to-day, according to McAdoo. If he can’t play, the Giants could move left guard Justin Pugh over to right tackle and use either Brett Jones or D.J. Fluker at left guard.
Defensive tackle Jay Bromley (knee), cornerback Janoris Jenkins (ankle/hand), and wide receiver Tavarres King (ankle) practiced fully.
Cornerback Eli Apple had a rough opener, allowing 10 completions on 12 targets for 123 yards and a touchdown, according to Pro Football Focus. On one drive, Apple was beaten on three straight passes. Nevertheless, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said there were some positive aspects from Apple’s performance.
“The thing that goes unnoticed about a corner, especially the way we play our corners, is the times the [opponent] doesn’t throw the ball over there because the corner has [the receiver] covered,” Spagnuolo said. “So we got a lot of confidence in Eli.”
Offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan attributed wide receiver Brandon Marshall’s inactive first game with the Giants to breakdowns in pass protection and unexpected coverages being thrown at the offense.
“He’s been great, his attitude is tremendous, he’s working hard and works at it,” Sullivan said of Marshall, who had just one catch on four targets in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys. “We’re excited about his improvement and the opportunities that are going to be there for him coming down the road.”