When the Baltimore Ravens signed wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. during the offseason, they were hoping he would make a reliable target for quarterback Lamar Jackson.

However, Beckham has represented nothing of the sort thus far.

In six games this season, Beckham has logged just 14 catches for 162 yards and no touchdowns. He was targeted four times and didn’t register a single reception in the Ravens’ Week 9 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

When asked about Beckham, Jackson offered an explanation for the wide out’s lack of productivity, saying that the veteran is being held by defensive backs.

“Oh absolutely. They’re just holding him. But I believe they got to – it’s OBJ,” Jackson told reporters, via Sarah Ellison, co-host of the Ravens Vault podcast. “He’s going to catch the ball. So they have to do their best to keep him away from the ball. But he’s going to get on the scoreboard. I believe it’s happening fast.”

While Lamar Jackson certainly deserves props for defending his teammate, his exposition of Beckham’s struggles doesn’t seem to hold much weight.

It seems hard to imagine that Beckham is the only receiver being held by defensive backs, especially at this point of his career when he is well past his prime.

The truth of the matter is that Beckham has not been all that productive since 2019, when he last posted a 1,000-yard campaign with the Cleveland Browns.

Since then, the 30-year-old has dealt with a myriad of injuries, including the torn ACL he suffered during the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl win two years ago.

It could just be that Odell Beckham Jr. is a far cry from being the same dominant receiver he was during his early days with the New York Giants.

The Ravens are 6-2 and will battle the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday.

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