Rams coach Sean McVay still has love for Odell Beckham Jr., released by Dolphins

Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times on Dec 14, 2024

Published in Football

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LOS ANGELES — In 2021, the Rams signed Odell Beckham Jr. as a midseason addition, and the star receiver helped them win Super Bowl LVI.

Could the Rams do it again?

On Friday, the Miami Dolphins released Beckham. If the 32-year-old, three-time Pro Bowl player clears waivers Monday, he will be a free agent.

Because of their shared history — Rams coach Sean McVay has said Beckham crashed his wedding in 2022 — the Rams are regarded as a possible landing spot along with several other teams making playoff pushes.

McVay, who guided his team to victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, was asked Friday whether he would have interest in bringing Beckham back and what the star's future might be.

"I don't know," McVay said during a videoconference with reporters. "The love I have for Odell, you know that. Just waking up, kind of getting ready for what's next for us and focusing on this. I'm not really sure about him. I've had a lot of other things that we're kind of focused on right now."

The Rams are not in dire need of a receiver.

Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are quarterback Matthew Stafford's top targets, Demarcus Robinson has seven touchdown catches and Tutu Atwell has made several key plays for a team that is 8-6 with games remaining against the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.

Robinson, however, has been nursing hand and shoulder injuries.

Three years ago, the Rams signed Beckham before the trade deadline after he was released by the Cleveland Browns. A few hours later, Robert Woods suffered a season-ending knee injury in a non-contact drill at practice.

Beckham caught 27 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns in the final eight games. In the Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals, he caught two passes for 52 yards, including a touchdown, before he suffered a knee injury.

Beckham did not play in 2022 while recovering from the knee injury. He played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023, and signed with the Dolphins before this season.

Beckham began the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list while recovering from knee surgery. In nine games, he caught nine passes for 55 yards.

The New York Giants selected Beckham with the 12th pick in the 2014 NFL draft. In his five seasons with the Giants, he established himself as one of the NFL's biggest stars.

Beckham has 59 career touchdown catches, but he has not had more than five in any season since 2018.

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