Odell Beckham Jr. was the biggest midseason free-agent acquisition of the 2021 NFL season, and it looks like he will have a chance to be the same in 2022.
Beckham’s situation this year is different than the one he went through last season. In 2021, he was released by the Browns after Cleveland attempted to send him away ahead of the NFL trade deadline. This year, he has remained unsigned throughout the offseason due to an injury.
Beckham suffered a torn ACL at the end of the first half of Super Bowl 56 on Feb. 13. The timing of the injury impacted how interested teams were in his services during free agency, as there was no guarantee that Beckham would be healthy enough to play in 2022.
As such, the veteran receiver took the long road. He is waiting to sign a contract until he is ready, and that time could soon be coming.
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Reports have varied on Beckham’s potential availability. Optimistic ones have said he could be fully healthy by October; others have said that he might not return until Thanksgiving.
We still don’t know exactly when Beckham will return to action, but what we do know is that teams will have an interest in him after his strong finish to the 2021 NFL season and 2022 NFL playoff run.
Below is a breakdown of the teams that are most likely to pursue Beckham once he is ready to return.
Odell Beckham Jr. landing spots
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs lost Tyreek Hill during the offseason, but the team did a nice job of replacing him with an amalgamation of role players that have improved the depth of the receiving corps. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster have carved out roles as the primary starters, but the team has also found roles for Mecole Hardman, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson by rotating them in frequently.
Beckham would be another nice rotational piece for the Chiefs. He would give them some star potential but wouldn’t be asked to do a lot right away for the team. If he pans out and proves healthy, he could eventually be a starting-caliber player for Kansas City. And even if he’s not the same player who helped the Rams win the Super Bowl last season, he could still find a role within the Chiefs’ receiver rotation.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills have one of the more explosive receiver duos in the NFL in Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. They have some veteran slot depth as well in Isaiah McKenzie and Jamison Crowder, but Beckham could be added to the mix to provide the team with excellent depth on the outside.
In many ways, this would be like Beckham’s decision to sign with the Rams last season. He wouldn’t necessarily fit in the starting lineup, as the Bills’ most open position is in the slot and Beckham is more of an outside receiver, but he would join a winner. He would also be a great option to rotate in to spell Davis and Diggs as needed during the latter half of the season.
Buffalo also has the advantage of having Von Miller, a close friend of Beckham’s, on the roster. That makes the Bills a strong contender to get Beckham should they pursue him.
MORE: Did Odell Beckham Jr. hint at interest in signing with Bills?
Los Angeles Rams
It’s no secret that Beckham enjoyed his time with the Rams. He helped the team replace Robert Woods after his torn ACL and played a major role in their Super Bowl success before he suffered a knee injury during the big game.
The Rams are in need of receiver help with Van Jefferson on IR with a knee injury. Cooper Kupp has 49 catches this year, but no other Rams wide receiver has more than 18 (Ben Skowronek). Allen Robinson (12 catches, 101 yards, one TD) has been a disappointment to date, and Beckham could be brought in to push him.
Some may assume that the Rams are out of the running because Beckham tweeted that Los Angeles didn’t offer him much in contract negotiations.
LA knows where I wanted to be… but they didn’t offer me…. ANYthing! So idk what people want me to do, I def kno my worth and what the offer was isn’t reflective of that. So it’s tough to say that I can come on back even tho I thought I finally found that home !
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) October 12, 2022
However, coach Sean McVay expressed his admiration for Beckham in the wake of that tweet and said that the team will continue to make him offers as he remains available.
“I love Odell,” McVay said. “We have constant dialogue. He also knows that certainly I don’t think that’s the last [offer] that would come from us. I’m not familiar with what it is. He knows how we feel about him. We’ve got a little bit of time.
“But [I] love Odell. Nothing but good things coming from me.”
New York Giants
The Rams aren’t the only one of Beckham’s former teams that he has shown an interest in. He has also been connected with the Giants, and a return to the place at which he started his career could make a lot of sense.
The Giants have started the season with a surprising 4-1 record, and they have done so without the services of many of their receivers. Sterling Shepard is out for the season while Kadarius Toney, Kenny Golladay and Wan’Dale Robinson have all missed time with injuries.
New York should get healthier as November draws nearer, but it could still use an upgrade at the position considering how disappointing Golladay has been. Beckham could take some attention away from Toney and Robinson when the explosive, young receivers are ready to play and that could provide Daniel Jones and the Giants’ passing offense more pop.
MORE: Looking back at Odell Beckham’s career with Giants, Browns and Rams
Dallas Cowboys
Here’s another 4-1 NFC East team that could try to woo Beckham. The Cowboys have a great No. 1 receiver in CeeDee Lamb, but they are missing Amari Cooper a bit after trading him to the Browns during the offseason. Michael Gallup is healthy, and that should help Dallas improve, but they could still use depth and talent at receiver.
Beckham could challenge Gallup for a starting job or provide insurance in case the oft-injured receiver gets banged up. Adding Beckham would give the Cowboys a solid four-man rotation at receiver thanks to the emergence of Noah Brown.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are off to a frustrating, 1-4 start to the season, but they have played better than their results indicate. All four of their losses have come by one score, so if they can finish games just a bit better, they will have a chance to make a late playoff run.
Beckham could help them do that. He would be an upgrade over Mack Hollins across from Davante Adams, and at the very least would concern opposing defenses a bit more than Hollins. Trying to guard Adams, Beckham, Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller could prove tough for the Raiders’ opponents and improve their offense’s ceiling.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers traded Davante Adams during the 2022 NFL offseason and their offense hasn’t been quite as strong as usual because of that. They are relying on younger players like Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson to play significant roles in their offense; that has worked out OK so far, but there have been growing pains, as one would expect.
If Aaron Rodgers or the Green Bay front office starts to worry about the receiver situation, they could target a veteran like Beckham to help stabilize the unit. He would add experience along with Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb and could help to take some pressure off the rookies if healthy.
MORE: Why Odell Beckham’s second ACL tear may have extended his career
Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson has gotten off to a strong start despite having minimal weapons at the receiver position. Baltimore has Rashod Bateman as a No. 1 receiver, but beyond him, Devin Duvernay has been leading the pack while Demarcus Robinson has played more than 50 percent of the snaps.
The Ravens can get by with weaker receivers because of tight end Mark Andrews, but adding Beckham could prove to be a big upgrade over Robinson in that outside receiver role. At the very least, Greg Roman could find creative ways to use Beckham to create space for other players, including Jackson.
So, if Beckham comes cheap enough, this could be a good fit and could offer plenty of playing time. Baltimore is, however, a run-heavy team, so that may not appeal to Beckham.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers can’t be ruled out of the Beckham equation. They have Tom Brady, after all. That said, they are much deeper at the receiver position this year than they were last year after signing Russell Gage and Julio Jones during the offseason.
What could cause the Bucs to pursue Beckham is Jones’ health. Jones has played just 50 snaps through five weeks due to a nagging knee injury, so if Tampa Bay loses confidence in his ability to stay on the field, the Bucs could target Beckham to be their new No. 4 receiver.
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