One of the things that people are going to be keeping an eye on at the Baltimore Ravens training camp over the next few weeks is how Odell Beckham Jr. looks. The last time that we saw Odell Beckham Jr. on the field was during Super Bowl 56 when he was playing for the Los Angeles Rams.
On the biggest of stages, he helped the Rams win the Lombardi Trophy, but it came at a cost. He ended up tearing his ACL during that game, which led to him missing the entire 2022 season. A few teams did talk about signing him to a contract, such as the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys and the team that drafted him, the New York Giants.
Ultimately, no deal was signed until the Ravens presented him with a strong offer this offseason. The two sides agreed to a one-year deal that could be worth up to $18 million. That is an excellent deal for Odell Beckham Jr. who is looking to prove he still has something left in the tank.
Odell Beckham Jr. will be nearly 19 months removed from the injury by the time the Ravens open the regular season against the Houston Texans. While there is still some work to do knocking off the rust, the former All-Pro did reveal that he is a full go at practice, indicating that he has “no real limitations” when it comes to on-field activity.
“I don’t know percentages; I just feel good,” Beckham said. “I feel like I’m going to continue to work to get back to who I know I truly am.”
The path back to the field has been a long and tedious one for Odell Beckham Jr. He admitted that he contemplated retirement during the process and that this could be his last season in the NFL.
For now, however, Odell Beckham Jr. is just happy to be back on the field. According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, he is moving without any hesitation on the field, looking like his former self as he runs and cuts freely while still possessing his otherworldly footwork.
“I wanted to be grateful for that moment. It was a long time in rehab. I didn’t care what happened [on the field]. It was a blessing to step on the field.”
The progress that Odell Beckham Jr. has made since the Ravens’ mandatory minicamp in June has not gone unnoticed. He looks bigger and stronger than he was a few weeks ago and head coach John Harbaugh noted how much more comfortable that he looks.
“It seems to be that Odell has a good plan, and I see him working himself on a schedule to be ready to start the season,” Harbaugh said. “He’s definitely not where he’s going to be, but you could see the step from minicamp, so that was a good step in the right direction.”
Odell Beckham Jr. is expected to play a major role in the Ravens’ offense in the upcoming season as one of the new weapons for Lamar Jackson. He is grateful for the opportunity that the Ravens are giving him and will do what he can to make the most of it.
