Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. hasn’t done much this season in Miami, with only three catches for 15 yards. His next opportunity comes on Monday night, in his first game at against the Rams at SoFi Stadium since he suffered a torn ACL (or, more accurately, when he knee with a pre-torn ACL finally gave way) during Super Bowl LVI.
With Tyreek Hill questionable due to a wrist injury, Beckham might get more than the total playing time of 17 percent through four games (45 total snaps) in 2024.
And he might get a chance to duplicate the four-catch, 97-yard, one-touchdown showing he had against the Rams last year, when facing the Rams as a member of the Ravens.
On Saturday, Rams coach Sean McVay said all the right things about Beckham, based on his short stint with the Rams.
“He is such a special player and such a talent,” McVay told reporters. “I think the thing I respect as much as anything is what an impressive human he is and the things that he’s been able to overcome, whether it be some of the injury setbacks. You talk about a gifted, talented receiver, really smart and cerebral who can do so many different things. He was instrumental in us being able to do the things that we did for the short amount of time we had him here.
“I think the important thing with people, this is both Jalen [Ramsey] and Odell I feel this way about, do you leave an impact? What kind of relationships do you build and then what kind of impact do you leave? Both of those guys certainly left a big impact on me and this place. Jalen was here from 2019 to a couple years ago and even Odell was just a handful of months but the presence, the charisma, and the ability to really have such a good feel for what is needed in terms of the dynamics of the room. He’s as fun and as aware as anybody that I have been around. He was a real joy to coach, and I still keep in touch with both those guys. They mean a lot to me.”
They didn’t mean enough, of course, for the Rams to keep them. Ramsey was traded, and Beckham wasn’t re-signed — in 2023 or 2024. And while Beckham surely have plenty of reasons to show that he can still get it done, returning to the place where he was potentially on track to be Super Bowl MVP against a Rams team that didn’t want him back should give him extra motivation.
All he needs is enough chances to do it.
