The Indianapolis Colts should be one of the most interesting teams in the NFL heading into 2024.
This past season, the Colts went 9-8 and just missed a playoff berth with Gardner Minshew leading the way under center. That was a result of Anthony Richardson going down with a shoulder injury early in the year.
Now, Gardner is playing for the Las Vegas Raiders, and Richardson is on the mend from surgery.
Richardson is expected to be ready for Week 1, and while he flashed his considerable talent during his short time on the field in 2023, growing pains are expected.
That’s why it’s important for Indianapolis to supply him with as many weapons as possible, and a former NFL executive tells the NFL Analysis Network who he thinks Indy should target.
“Anthony Richardson needs more weapons,” the exec said. “Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs are quality targets, but he doesn’t have a true No. 1. If I’m Chris Ballard, I’m giving a call to Odell Beckham Jr. He may not be what he was in New York, but he’d thrive as a top target and still has plenty left in the tank.”
Beckham is still remaining on the free-agent market after spending the 2023 campaign with the Baltimore Ravens. He played in 14 games this past year, logging 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns.
The 31-year-old met with the Miami Dolphins last month and was offered a contract by them, but he turned it down.
Beckham certainly is not a No. 1 receiver at this stage of his career and has not logged a 1,000-yard campaign since 2019, when he was a member of the Cleveland Browns.
However, in an aerial attack that already features Pittman and Downs, not to mention Alec Pierce, Beckham could potentially perform well as an auxiliary option.
As the former executive pointed out, this is not the same Beckham from his New York Giants days. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three NFL seasons and appeared to be on a historic pace before injuries—and attitude issues—derailed his tenure in New York.
That being said, Beckham can still be helpful, and if the Colts are able to add him, they would suddenly have a deep receiving corps at Richardson’s disposal.
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