Odell Beckham JR is rehabbing from an ACL tear he suffered in last season’s Super Bowl. In doing so, he’s found himself on the free agent market since March. News broke today that the LA Rams offered him a deal earlier in the year that he found offensive. The offer OBJ found offensive was the “lowest of lows,” according to himself in a tweet.
Beckham felt he deserved more than the Rams offered him, but there were no hard feelings between the two parties. Kelly Stafford, the wife of Matthew Stafford, was seen on Instagram actively recruiting OBJ, which Beckham entertained. As Kelly mentions, Matthew misses Odell, and Beckham asks her if they can hold the fort down until mid-season. OBJ is eying a late November return, and there’s still hope for Rams fans that he will return to LA. The Rams are still the favorite to land Beckham when he returns to the field.
Odell’s ACL Tear:
The Cleveland Browns released Beckham in the middle of last season, a year after an ACL tear. The Rams had traded for linebacker Von Miller on November 2nd and saw fit to sign OBJ for reinforcement just 11 days later. When Beckham arrived in LA last season, the Rams were sitting at 7-2 after a loss to the Tennessee Titans. Veteran wideout Robert Woods went down with an ACL tear almost immediately after OBJ signed, which meant he would be out for the year.
Beckham took a few weeks to find his niche in the offense, but he and Stafford developed perfect chemistry. In a slow start and the team losing the first two games OBJ played, you could see Stafford gaining more trust with him. Beckham caught three touchdowns in the first four games, and the team was 2-2 in those contests. During that stretch, the Rams’ offense scored 105 total points and averaged 26.2 points per game.
How Much Did OBJ Help LA?:
In the most challenging part of their schedule, LA could right to ship and power forward, thanks to the help of OBJ. Pairing Beckham with Cooper Kupp, who won the receiving triple crown last season, was just magic. Kupp, before Beckham arrived, averaged 115 yards per game in eight games. He averaged 7.8 receptions in those eight games. After OBJ came, he averaged 116 yards per game and 8.8 receptions per game to finish the regular season.
To say Beckham didn’t help Kupp out would be a ridiculous statement. In the postseason, Kupp accomplished things we hadn’t seen since Jerry Rice. Catching 33 passes for 478 yards and six touchdowns. The 33 catches are an NFL record, and he even set the record for most combined yards in a single year with 2,425.
Beckham aided Kupp and the Rams in large part by being a reliable target for Stafford to find. He could stretch the field, giving Stafford more than Van Jefferson as his deep target. Beckham could take attention away from Kupp to allow him to run free more often. He came up big down the stretch as well, catching a go-ahead touchdown in week 16, essentially sealing a division title.
Uncertainty after ACL Tear:
In the postseason, OBJ stepped up his game. Catching 21 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns. In the NFC championship game, he caught nine passes for 113 yards to go along with Kupp’s 142 yards. Odell caught the opening touchdown in the Super Bowl and was on his way to being named Super Bowl MVP. Finishing the game with two catches for 52 yards, he was cut down by a noncontact ACL tear.
Because of this ACL tear, Rams fans have to sit and wait while rumors of other teams, such as the Bills and Packers, signing him begin to swirl. I’m not worried much about it because I know how much OBJ loves the Rams, and there are no ill feelings by either party. Even though the sporting tribune says OBJ isn’t a priority for LA, I firmly believe he’ll be back in December.
Rams COO Kevin Demoff told the Athletic that the Rams want OBJ back. With as much love as the Rams have shown him and even left his locker open so he could return, there’s no doubt once he recovers from the ACL tear, he’ll be back with horns on the helmet.
Checkout my other article “Super Cooper: Rams Safety Blanket”
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