Rumors about Odell Beckham Jr.: Rams lead for WR in Free.

April 16, 2022

Free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. still remains unsigned for the 2022 NFL Draft. Teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cleveland Browns have been linked to Beckham Jr. in these past few weeks, but no final decision has been made.

However, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network said that the most likely scenario to happen is Beckham Jr. returning to the LA Rams. "I don’t think it is a slam dunk that he goes back to the Rams but they certainly seem like the leader in the clubhouse," he said.

The rumor is based on some reasons. First, there is mutual interest in the deal. Beckham Jr. himself called the Rams his home, and the Rams’ head coach, Sean McVay, said that the team would love to work with Beckham Jr. again. Second, the Rams have Beckham Jr.’s medical record and know his condition better as their team doctor was the one who handled the athlete’s surgery.

Beckham Jr. and the Rams:

After his season with the Browns, Beckham Jr. signed a one-year deal of $1.25 million with the Rams in November and made a significant impact on the team. Beckham Jr. then found his way to adapting to the Rams’ unique offense, and shortly after that, he was progressing significantly along with quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Under the guidance of coach Eric Yarber, Beckham Jr. and Jefferson were prepared to maintain the quality of the team’s play due to wide receiver Robert Woods' absence. Woods tore his ACL and was not able to return to the game in the middle of the season.

During the regular season, Beckham Jr. had 27 catches for 305 yards receiving and five touchdowns with the Rams. He also logged 19 grabs for 236 yards in three playoff games.

Beckham Jr.’s ACL injury

The wide receiver was forced to leave the field when he encountered his first ACL tear with the Browns in 2020 while playing against the Bengals’ Cornellius Philips. Shortly after that, Beckham Jr. had surgery to treat his injury and was expected to return in 2021.

However, it took longer for Beckham Jr. to get back to the field because the surgery didn’t go well and caused further complications that left Beckham Jr. with longer rehab. Rapoport said on his Twitter account that the surgery was not performed by the team's affiliated doctor and it was not a great surgery. This particular issue is the reason why the Rams didn’t sign a long-term deal with Beckham Jr.

In February 2022, Beckham Jr. suffered his second ACL tear grade 3 while playing in the Super Bowl win against the Bengals. During the first 15 minutes of the game, Beckham Jr. still managed to catch two passes for 52 yards and a touchdown. After that, Beckham Jr. was stepping back for a pass behind him and failed as he was down with a non-contact injury.

ACL tear grade 3 is a condition where the ACL is completely torn in half and has lost its function in stabilizing the knee joint. If the injury shows no signs of improvement, Beckham Jr. might not be able to play in the 2022 season.

Jake
Jake Williams
Jake Williams is a sports gambling expert. He's been writing in the sports betting and DFS industry for over a decade. He specializes in MLB and NBA, along with College Basketball and College Football.