EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants will take the field Thursday for their first full-team practice of training camp with the expectation that star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will be "ready to go," according to coach Pat Shurmur.
Beckham broke his right ankle last season and is looking for a new contract. He is set to play on the fifth-year option from his rookie contract at $8.5 million while 10 of the 12 first or second-round receivers from the 2014 NFL draft are already on their second deals.
Despite the desire for a new contract, Beckham is expected to report to training camp Wednesday afternoon with the rest of his veteran teammates. He also attended OTAs and minicamp in the spring, even though he didn't participate in live drills.
The Giants seem confident in his health after being physically cleared in the spring. Shurmur doesn't seem concerned about putting Beckham into live drills this summer.
"No reservations," Shurmur said. "But as I mentioned, we're going to continue to be smart with his training."
Beckham was cleared physically prior to mandatory minicamp in June, but he was still held out of all live drills. There could be some hesitation on his part to get on the field this summer in full-contact scrimmaging and preseason games given his situation.
It's not something that will be a constant topic between coach and player.
"We don't talk about contracts. The focus for me is keeping the players thinking about football," Shurmur said. "I talk with all the players about what we're trying to get out of each phase of our training. And so we're going to talk to them in a group and then we'll talk to them all individual with what we're trying to get done."
Others from the 2014 draft class such as the Rams' Aaron Donald and Raiders' Khalil Mack skipped minicamp this spring and may take a similar approach this summer as they await new deals. Beckham has put the ball in the Giants' court by being a regular at the facility so far this year.
"I sort of worry about the Giants. I'm obviously aware of all things NFL but my concern is getting our team ready to play and this is a key time. It's important. Training camp is important," Shurmur said. "We need to be smart about how we do things, but we need to get out there and bang around a little bit and get ready to go. That is my concern."
Just last season alone Beckham saw his future flash in front of his eyes when he suffered an ankle injury in the preseason and then broke it in a Week 5 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Beckham has now been running routes at full speed now for several months leading into training camp.
"We feel like he is on track," Shurmur said. "Like all players coming back from injury we just have to be smart about how much we give them as we move forward. As I mentioned, it's all about football and it's all about our guys getting ready to play Jacksonville and beyond."
The Giants open their season on Sept. 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.