Odell Beckham, Jr. still has something to offer the Miami Dolphins

Odell Beckham, Jr. can still play football. He still has the range, the speed, and the hands to be a dangerous receiver. Pairing him on the same field with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, with Jonnu Smith running down the seam, almost seems unfair.

We will see on Thursday what the Dolphins think of him and whether or not he will be given the opportunity to line up with the three stars.

It is true that OBJ is on the back side of his career, but he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. He is probably faster than most receivers in the league and he still has soft hands. He can get out of the break with the best of them and score from literally any position on the field. Paired with Hill and Waddle, Miami's offense would be like a video game.

Teams usually double-team Beckham, Jr., but against the Dolphins and their triumverate of receiving threats, someone has to draw single coverage. Whoever that person, is going to eat big. If teams go to their nickel package and bring in a fifth defensive back, that will leave one of the receivers with one on one coverage. If they bring in the dime package, with a sixth defensive back, and Miami checks to the run, the offensive line will be in a mismatch and the lucky running back can be off to the races.

You still have to respect Beckham, Jr. despite his age and experience. I acknowledge that he has not had a Pro Bowl season since 2016, but he has been fighting injuries and was having a great Super Bowl LVI with the Rams when they won the title, before exiting with an ACL tear that would keep him sidelined for the 2022 season. Incidentally, he played that season with current Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

In the Super Bowl against the Bengals, Beckham scored the game’s first touchdown, a 17-yard reception. But he left the game in the second quarter with what was later determined to be another torn ACL.

All OBJ does is make big plays and catch touchdown passes. He has 13 touchdowns over the last three regular seasons. Remember, he is coming in to be the third receiver. The days of him being WR1 are over. He is not the first read. He is third in Tua Tagovailoa's progressions and will be a heck of a decoy when Miami lines up with two receivers on each side and you have Braxton Berrios in the slot.

Beckham, Jr. played last season in Baltimore and did not have a bad year for a guy who is not "the man" of the offense. He is a third option. He will not be taking plays away from Hill or Waddle, he just might help them get open so they can score more touchdowns. OBJ had a productive year last season as he caught 35 passes for 565 yards and three scores, in only 14 games. The total yards were greater than the sum of Wilson, Berrios, and Chase Claypool combined. His 16.7 yards per reception led the NFL in that category.

During the regular season of 2021, when he was with the Rams, he caught 27 passes for 305 yards but scored five times. I will gladly take that from a third receiver.

However, he is capable of reliving his youth in Mike McDaniel's high-octane offense. If undrafted Raheem Mostert can be tied for the league lead in touchdowns in 2023 after bouncing around the league for several years, before Miami came calling for the second time, perhaps Beckham, Jr. can strike gold in the fountain of youth and relive his previous glory.

At worst, he is a more than adequate third receiver.

Chris Grier has been good at going bargain shopping this off-season. If he can get Beckham, Jr. at the right price, then it could be Miami's equivalent of the Great Train Robbery as Grier will be adding another weapon to Tagovailoa's arsenal. Beckham, Jr. would be an immediate upgrade over last season's third receiver, Cedrick Wilson, Jr., who has gone on to sign with the Saints after his option was not picked up by the Dolphins.

The Dolphins are going to find a third receiver. They signed River Cracraft Wednesday night, but he is depth and at best your fifth receiver in the pattern. They are either going to sign Beckham, Jr. or try to land Michael Thomas from New Orleans, or draft a rookie receiver who can contribute immediately.

Further, in the event that they do sign Beckham, Jr. it will most likely be to a one-year contract. They can still draft a rookie and develop him for the following season and add depth to an already stellar receiving room.