EAST RUTHERFORD — The plan is not to spend the offseason devoting a disproportionate amount of attention on a veteran wide receiver battling for a roster spot. But I’ll make an exception for Odell Beckham Jr.’s first open practice back with the New York Giants after a seven-year odyssey led him to a reunion he called “surreal” on Wednesday.Beckham was sprinkled in with all three units in his third practice after an extended layoff. Beckham hasn’t been on an NFL roster since his release by the Miami Dolphins late in the 2024 season.Some rust was evident early in practice when Beckham failed to generate any separation from cornerback Deonte Banks on a go route. Backup quarterback Jameis Winston uncorked a bomb down the sideline, but Beckham couldn’t make the catch through Banks’ tight coverage. The players hit the ground, and a frustrated Beckham was slow to get up.Beckham’s lone catch in a team period showed his savvy and the strong hands that have always been a forte. Beckham settled into a soft spot in zone coverage and made a leaping snag of a Winston pass that was behind him.Third-string quarterback Brandon Allen forced a pass to Beckham over the middle on his final target of practice. Safety Raheem Layne nearly intercepted it, but he couldn’t hang on as he collided with Beckham.Beckham welcomed the reintroduction to the physicality of football after so much time spent training for this moment. The 33-year-old said he feels healthy and is still running as fast as earlier in his career.Beckham said it was “unsettling in my soul” for his career to potentially end as it did in Miami. He was out of the league last season, serving a six-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs as a free agent.There have been no assurances to Beckham in his comeback, as he’ll need to fight just to earn a roster spot. Beckham relayed a message from coach John Harbaugh during their many conversations about a possible return.“He was like, ‘I love you so much; I’ve got so much respect for you. I don’t want to bring you here and have to cut you,’ or whatever,” Beckham said. “I’m like, ‘Listen, I’m going out on my sword either way it goes.’”Beckham has the opportunity he craved to end his career on his terms. Now it’s up to him to make the most of it.Here are notes and observations from the rest of Wednesday’s practice:Taking attendanceWR Malik Nabers (knee), TE Theo Johnson (undisclosed), DL Darius Alexander (illness), DL Roy Robertson-Harris (Achilles), DL Shelby Harris (undisclosed) and LB Cam Jones (undisclosed) weren’t spotted at the voluntary practice. The 34-year-old Harris hasn’t appeared at any of the three open practices this spring after signing a one-year, $3 million contract on April 29.Robertson-Harris tore his right Achilles on May 21, but he hasn’t been put on injured reserve. Harbaugh said there’s a chance Robertson-Harris could return late in the season, so they’re going to hold off on putting the 32-year-old on IR for now. The Giants would need to carry Robertson-Harris on the 90-man roster until cut day when he could shift to a reserve list and not count against the 53-man roster limit. It may become a challenge to preserve a roster spot for the solid but not irreplaceable Robertson-Harris if injuries mount during training camp.Injury reportRB Cam Skattebo (ankle) and DL Sam Roberts (undisclosed offseason surgery) worked on the side with trainers. WR Darius Slayton (sports hernia) came out to the field midway through practice and watched. That has been the case all spring for Slayton, who is expected to be ready for training camp.WR Beaux Collins, TE Thomas Fidone, OL Josh Ezeudu, OL Lucas Patrick and CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse were all suited up for practice but didn’t participate in any team periods. No reason was given for those players’ inactivity. It’s the second straight open practice that Ezeudu, who has been sporting a large brace on his right arm, and Fidone have been sidelined. Patrick snapped to quarterbacks during a 7-on-7 period, so he doesn’t appear to be dealing with anything serious.WR Gunner Olszewski, who underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles on Monday, was wheeling around the practice field on a knee scooter. Olszewski was placed on injured reserve on Monday, so he is done for the season. Olszewski was the third player to suffer a torn Achilles in three weeks, joining Robertson-Harris and undrafted rookie cornerback Thaddeus Dixon.Harbaugh said there’s no explanation for the rash of Achilles tears, but the team has been running tests on players and added new equipment to the training room to try to avoid future injuries.Six observationsDefensive dominance: The defense had the upper hand in Wednesday’s practice and wasn’t shy about letting the offensive players know about the dominant showing. It was a third-down-heavy practice, which gives the defense an advantage. The Giants’ pass rush was particularly disruptive, with starting quarterback Jaxson Dart primarily connecting on short passes. When the first-team offense had success, it was mostly the result of a scramble after the pass rush got penetration into the backfield.Dart’s best throw of the day was a back-shoulder completion to wide receiver Darnell Mooney against cornerback Greg Newsome. Dart may not have gotten the pass off in a game because outside linebacker Abdul Carter blew pass left guard Jon Runyan in a flash. Carter’s explosive first step was on display repeatedly.The Giants mixed in some four wide receiver sets. Defensively, there was an increased usage of three safeties. Ar’Darius Washington was the third safety, joining starters Jevon Holland and Tyler Nubin. There was a glimpse of the front that will keep offensive coordinators up at night: Carter, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Arvell Reese and Tremaine Edmunds.It was a sloppy day for the offense with pre-snap penalties. Tight end Isaiah Likely, who had an otherwise productive practice, committed a false start penalty on the first play of a period, and he promptly did pushups. The second-team offense committed consecutive false starts deep in the red zone at the end of practice.Strong start: For all of the attention paid to Beckham’s return, another new veteran wide receiver had a more productive practice. JuJu Smith-Schuster, who signed on Tuesday, caught two passes in 11-on-11 periods and two passes in a 7-on-7 period. Smith-Schuster is far less rusty after playing in all 17 games last season for the Chiefs. He also has familiarity with offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, as the duo spent the past two years together in Kansas City.A clean slate? Banks continues to get reps with the first-team defense. He has been rotating with Newsome, who has gotten more first-team reps. It’s not a situation where the coaching staff is managing Newsome’s reps since he worked with the second-team defense during one period.Banks’ physical talent has never been in question. There are three years of evidence that indicate he can’t be relied on, but a new coaching staff offers a clean slate that allows for some optimism for the 2023 first-round pick.O-line rotation: The most encouraging development of the day was starting left tackle Andrew Thomas getting reps in team periods. Thomas hadn’t participated in team periods in the first two open practices of the spring as the team manages the shoulder and foot of their most indispensable player.Marcus Mbow had taken all of the first-team left tackle reps in Thomas’ place. Mbow and Thomas split first-team reps on Wednesday. The other four members of the starting offensive line — Runyan, C John Michael Schmitz, RG Francis Mauigoa and RT Jermaine Eluemunor — have taken every rep with the first-team offense in the open practices this spring.The second-team offensive line has been consistent with Mbow and JC Davis splitting time at left tackle, Ryan Schernecke at right tackle, Daniel Faalele and Aaron Stinnie at the guard spots, and Patrick at center. Bryan Hudson stepped in as the second-team center in Patrick’s place on Wednesday. Faalele has worked at left guard in the past two open practices. He had exclusively played right guard as a starter in Baltimore the past two seasons, but he needs reps on both sides now that he’s a backup.Sauls stumbles: A day after the Giants cut veteran kicker Jason Sanders, second-year kicker Ben Sauls delivered a performance that could cause second thoughts. Sauls went 4-for-10 on field goals during a team period ranging from 33 to 47 yards. Some of the misses weren’t even close despite limited wind. Sauls finished on a high note, connecting from 37 and 39 yards to cap two drives at the end of practice.Undrafted rookie Dominic Zvada is the other competitor for the kicking job. Zvada hasn’t kicked in any of the three OTA practices open to the media this spring. He went 5-for-5 in a rookie minicamp practice.Harbaugh said Sanders’ “style might not be a perfect fit” for the windy conditions of the Meadowlands. Harbaugh correctly predicted that Sanders would get picked up quickly — he was signed Wednesday by the Jets, who, of course, share MetLife Stadium with the Giants.Return battle: Olszewski’s injury created a void at returner. The Giants signed veteran receiver/returner Braxton Berrios on Monday, and he profiles as the top option to replace Olszewski. But there will be a competition for that role.Banks, Berrios, wide receiver Calvin Austin, wide receiver Xavier Gipson and running back Devin Singletary were the kickoff returners during Wednesday’s practice. Banks is a lock for one of the kickoff return spots. The Giants need to replace Olszewski as the other kickoff returner and punt returner. The Giants didn’t practice punt returns on Wednesday.Play of the dayIt’s not often that a sack stands out in a non-contact practice, but rookie inside linebacker Arvell Reese’s sack during a team period was the exception. Reese blitzed up the middle in a blur, with Abdul Carter close behind him, and was in Jaxson Dart’s lap so fast that the play was immediately blown dead. It was a glimpse of what the pass rush could look like with the pair of top-five picks from the past two drafts.Quote of the day“We kind of got a get-off-the-bus type of team. You look at it, there’s a bunch of big, strong, fast guys running around. That’s exciting when you’re playing on defense.” — Recently signed DL DJ ReaderNext upThe Giants will conduct their 10th and final OTA practice on Thursday. Their three mandatory minicamp practices next week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) will be open to the media.