2014. The New York Giants drafted a kid out of LSU named Odell Beckham. During his rookie season, he missed the first four games with a hamstring injury. When he finally got on the field, his impact was definitely seen and felt. He made one of the most memorable catches on November 23rd, 2014 when he caught a pass with only three fingers and still made the catch despite a pass interference call on Cowboys Defensive Back, Brandon Carr. Odell was named Offensive Rookie of the Year after becoming the first rookie to record more than 75 receptions, 1,100 yards receiving and ten touchdowns in a season. After spending the first five seasons of his career with the Giants, Odell spent the next few seasons of his career with the Cleveland Browns. On November 5th, 2021, the Browns announced they were releasing Odell and he was then picked up by the Los Angeles Rams off waivers where he helped lead them to a Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals before tearing his ACL. After a year of not playing football, the talks have ramped up about who would sign the veteran receiver. Odell will return to the AFC North, this time as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
When healthy, Odell is still a productive receiver in this league. He may not be the guy we saw in New York, but still hurts a defense when given the opportunity. I said this then and, I’ll say it now, being released by the Browns was the best thing to happen to him and did you all notice when he was in Los Angeles, he seemed happier and got back to playing good football? Sometimes, a change of scenery is all a person needs and he benefitted from that. I always say that if he didn’t get hurt in that Super Bowl against Cincinnati, that game is different because he was on fire to start that game. In space, he’s still a problem for many defensive backfields and he works his way up the field with shiftiness and has the ability to use that speed to split through double teams. Odell has always had strong body control to make those tough and acrobatic catches. Throughout his career, I’ve always admired his ability to get in and out of cuts and tackles. Odell uses that agility to spin back and make moves to get those extra yards. He’s that type of receiver that when the football touches his hands, you think there’s a chance for him to score every time. That’s how electric of a receiver he can be when he’s on the field. I’ve seen Odell take those short slant routes and take it to the endzone 80 yards up the field for six points. Odell can beat you underneath, with the deep route and he can run any route on the route tree effectively.
For years, many, myself included have been calling for the Baltimore Ravens to get a true number one receiver for Lamar Jackson. Outside of Mark Andrews, Lamar hasn’t had much to work with. As I said up top, Odell is already familiar playing in the AFC North and he gives them a veteran weapon that can be a spark if healthy. Now, the other domino to fall is Lamar himself. When the free agency period started, the Ravens franchised their MVP Quarterback. With Odell now in the fold, does this bring Lamar back to Baltimore?
