We already know the Cowboys-Giants Week 1 tilt will probably be without Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott, who’s likely to serve a six-game suspension to open the season. New York might not have its go-to playmaker, either, as wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. “could miss a week or two of the regular season,” a source told Jordan Raanan and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. Beckham sprained his ankle in a preseason game against Cleveland on Monday, though the hit to the left leg he took from Browns cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun could have resulted in a far more serious injury.
After their NFC East showdown with the defending division champion Cowboys, the Giants take on another 2016 playoff team, the Lions, in Week 2. Those are the first of two difficult-looking games in a slate that also includes what look to be tough matchups with the Eagles, Buccaneers, Chargers, Broncos and Seahawks before the Giants’ Week 8 bye. Going without Beckham for any of those first-half contests would be a notable blow, then, though the playoff hopefuls did add to their aerial weaponry in the offseason by signing receiver Brandon Marshall and using a first-round pick on tight end Evan Engram. They also have wideout Sterling Shepard, who hauled in 65 receptions and eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2016.
Beckham, who wants to be the highest-paid player in the NFL someday, has not yet had extension negotiations with the Giants. The club has little incentive to give Beckham a raise, despite his phenomenal output over the first three years of his career, as he’s controllable at affordable prices for the next two seasons and could be a candidate for the franchise tag past that point. But, having come close to suffering a catastrophic injury, the 24-year-old is considering purchasing an insurance policy worth in excess of $100MM.
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