The Miami Dolphins have one of the most top-heavy wide receiver rooms in the NFL. They went into the offseason with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle already under contract but decided to add three-time Pro Bowler Odell Beckham Jr. to the roster back in May.
Last season, Hill had 119 receptions for 1,799 yards and 13 touchdowns, leading the league in both receiving yards and touchdown receptions. Waddle had 72 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns.
In his first season back in the NFL after tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams, Beckham had 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns while playing for the Baltimore Ravens.
While Beckham may not be the Pro Bowl 1,000+ yard receiver he once was, his production was certainly good for a wide receiver that is not expected to be one of the team’s top two options.
The Miami Dolphins Have Decided to Have Odell Beckham Jr. Start the 2024 NFL Season on the PUP
As teams all around the NFL trim their rosters from 90 to 53 players, many difficult decisions need to be made. The Dolphins themselves had to make a touch, though not completely unexpected, decision in regard to OBJ and his health:
The #Dolphins will start Odell Beckham Jr on PUP, per me and @TomPelissero.
When Miami signed him in May, they were aware this was possibility, due to an offseason procedure he had. OBJ has worked hard, but MIA felt the best path was to ease him in. It’s a long-term decision. pic.twitter.com/YiROpHqnjX
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 27, 2024
As one can see in the X (formerly Twitter) post above, Miami has decided that OBJ will begin the 2024 NFL season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
This means that the Dolphins will not be able to have OBJ play for them for at least the first four games of the regular season. Once activated from the PUP list, Miami will have 21 days to add him to their 53-man roster.
Why Is Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Starting the 2024 NFL Season on the PUP List?
As mentioned previously, OBJ tore his ACL while helping the Rams win the Super Bowl early in the 2022 calendar year. He became a free agent after their victory, but did not sign with a team as he was physically unable to play during the 2022 NFL season.
After playing for the Ravens in 2023, OBJ needed further work done on his knee in order to make him able to play at all in 2023. Miami knew this when they signed him, and realized that it was a possibility that he might miss the start of the season.
A couple of weeks ago, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was quoted as saying, “[If] you learn how we do something a certain way, you have a visual that when you go and do it physically, and then you can adjust and learn quickly — it really hurts the learning process if you do it and can’t do it again. So, that’s where we’re at with that.
“So, I’m not rushing the process,” McDaniel continued. “I’m not worried about it because I know the intent is right on both sides.”
It is not yet known when OBJ will be healthy enough to play, but when he is, Miami will make sure he is completely healed and ready to go.
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