NFL: 5 teams that should add Odell Beckham Jr. during the season
By Kyle Edmond
NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is still recovering from injury, but what teams could be candidates to add him in the middle of the season?
It’s been a whirlwind of a few seasons for Odell Beckham Jr. in the NFL. Despite being just 29 years old with three Pro Bowl appearances, OBJ is on the search for his third team over two seasons and the fourth of his career.
After being released by the Cleveland Browns, signing with the Los Angeles Rams, and winning a Super Bowl, the future is now a bit murky for the former superstar. When healthy, Beckham has proven to be a dynamic receiver. Unfortunately, those opportunities have been short-lived.
Odell Beckham Jr. should have plenty of suitors around the NFL
Beckham’s career has been a bit of a roller coaster. His rookie campaign saw him collect the 2014 Offensive Rookie of the Year award, despite playing just 12 games. Over his first three seasons in the league, OBJ tallied at least 1,300 receiving yards a season with double-digit touchdowns, and during his second and third seasons combined he missed just one game. Then the 2017 season.
In 2017, Beckham suffered a sprained ankle in the preseason. He returned to the team, but later suffered a season-ending ankle fracture, playing just four games that season. He returned to the Giants in 2018, but played just 12 games and was surrounded by drama. A quad bruise late in the season not only ended his 2018 campaign but his career as a New York Giant.
New scenery in 2019 gave hope to Beckham that his career could find traction again with the Cleveland Browns and former college teammate Jarvis Landry. In his first season in Cleveland, Beckham played in all 16 for just the second time in his career and eclipsed 1,000 yards. However, he found the end zone just four times and clearly lacked chemistry with quarterback Baker Mayfield.
A coaching change in Cleveland prior to 2020 again returned hope for OBJ, but a torn ACL in his left knee, the same leg that had the ankle fracture, ended his season in week 8. The Cleveland timeline for OBJ concluded in 2021 when he was released after six games without a touchdown and only 232 receiving yards.
Beckham landed with the Los Angeles Rams and won the Super Bowl, but it came with a cost. In the Super Bowl, OBJ tore the same ACL that he did in 2020 and that brings us to today. A wide receiver who hasn’t found his true footing in a long time and is now often injured.
That isn’t to say he doesn’t have value. Beckham is still only 29 years old and has shown plenty of potential. The injuries are a concern, but once healthy OBJ could still provide use to a team. Given the timeline of the injury, he might not be able to sign until the middle or back half of the season, but what teams could take a flyer on the veteran?