Caleb Harris
Odell Beckham Jr. is on his fourth team in four years, joining the Miami Dolphins this offseason. Beckham played with the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams in 2021, missed the 2022 season with an ACL injury, and was with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023.
He signed a one-year contract with Miami, an AFC contender with many strengths on offense. Teaming up with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle has already been a positive experience for OBJ. He hasn’t been with the team long, but he understands that his role isn’t to be the best pass catcher.
“You all push each other,” Beckham said (via Palm Beach Post). “And for me in this place, in my life and in my career, I haven’t been No. 1 for a minute, you could go back and look at the targets, you could look at anything. I’ve been in.”
The 31-year-old finished the 2023 season with 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns, which is a big difference from his peak of 96 receptions for 1,450 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2015. OBJ, however, had a career record in yards. per catch at 16.1 last year.
Beckham is a solid addition to the attack, but he’s not the player he once was and he knows it. At the moment he is focused on helping the team in any way he can.
“So just understand your role and how can you be the best in that role? How can you maximize those opportunities?” he said.
Beckham is fully aware of where his career is at and has an approach that his younger self did not.
“I feel like I used to carry a lot of anger or resentment or whatever,” Beckham said. “And now I feel at peace. You’re able to coach. You’re able to play the game you love again. You kind of get past the whole business side or whatever might be holding you back.”
The free agent had a few options this offseason and was eventually convinced to take his talents to South Beach because of coach Mike McDaniel.
By watching movies together, HC had a solid plan on how to best utilize OBJ.
“Watching the film, it reminds me of a place where I was very successful, as far as [as] the Giants,” Beckham said. “The moment. And all things [McDaniel] preach. We talked about football and that excited me. …The coach was mentioning that on third down, they were managing to double up a lot on both [Hill and Waddle]. And there’s a lot of room for opportunity.”
McDaniel had the same positive experience when he sat down and discussed the game with the wide receiver.
“He sold it to me,” McDaniel said. “It’s just his energy. We speak the same language. The conversations we had about football.”
Beckham also did his homework on his new quarterback by watching tape on Tagovailoa, and once again that notion of “opportunity” became apparent for the wide receiver.
“They said his accuracy is different. Just watching the film, there’s a lot of good things he’s done and when I actually sat down and watched the film, I saw an opportunity.” Beckham said.
In what could be his last team, Beckham wants to end his career with an exclamation point.
“I’m a competitor,” he said. “Forget the middle part. You read a book. The beginning will capture us. You read the body of the story. And how will it end? That’s where I’m at [in my career]. Let’s have a great ending to this story.”
