Chiefs Become Popular Landing Spot for Odell Beckham Jr.
The Kansas City Chiefs' 2022 season is off to a good start and their offense has had a couple of 40-plus point explosions already, but things haven't been perfect. Despite general manager Brett Veach's investment in the wide receiver position during the offseason, everything has yet to click.
Through four games, JuJu Smith-Schuster is the only Chiefs wideout with more than 200 receiving yards. Of the 11 touchdowns Patrick Mahomes has thrown thus far, nine of them have been to a running back or tight end. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is tied with Clyde Edwards-Helaire for third on the team in receptions, and Mecole Hardman has just 71 yards in nearly a quarter of the season. The Chiefs need more from the receiver spot, even if they still have some time to sort things out.
With that in mind, it's only natural for the wandering eye to look elsewhere and try to fix the Chiefs' problem for them. Normally, a month into the NFL season, premier talents aren't available on the open market. This year is different, as Odell Beckham Jr. is still a free agent as he works his way back from an ACL tear he suffered during the Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl LVI win. A recent Twitter exchange with Marcus Spears of ESPN added some new life to the once-lively fire that is the possibility of Beckham bringing his talents to Kansas City.
This stamp of approval for Spears's list, along with reports from last November about Beckham having the Chiefs as one of the final teams in the running for his services, has led to the Chiefs once again being a popular landing spot for him. On ESPN's 'Get Up' program, Spears and colleague Dan Graziano both recently picked Kansas City as the most suitable destination for Beckham. Here's what Spears had to say (most of which was echoed by Graziano):
"They need a closer at the wide receiver spot. I like this team, and we all know how good Patrick Mahomes is. But when you get in high-leverage games — where we know Kansas City is headed — you're going to have to have a guy where it's just about the man as opposed to some concept or something that Andy Reid can dial up.
"I think OBJ in this offense, obviously, will open up things for Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster, and he'll add and increase this run game because you have to determine coverage when he's playing wide receiver. I think this is his best chance to potentially win another ring but I also think within this offense, he can come in right away and increase an offense that we saw put up 41 points against the Bucs.
Although Beckham is no longer the player he was early on with the New York Giants, he remains a viable threat at wide receiver. In seven starts with the Rams during the 2021 regular season, he hauled in 27 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns. In the three playoff games leading up to the Super Bowl, he was targeted 23 times and recorded 19 catches for 236 yards and another touchdown. At the time of his ACL tear early in the Super Bowl, Beckham had a pair of catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. From a talent standpoint, he was able to contribute to a championship-caliber team the last time he was healthy.
There are other things to consider with a potential Chiefs-Beckham union, though. The veteran will turn 30 years old in November and now has multiple serious knee injuries on his track record, which both serve as red flags at the wide receiver spot. Additionally, Kansas City has tried its hand at bringing on veteran wideouts only to have them struggle to learn the playbook, not adapt on the fly and fail to get heavily involved in the offense. Spears makes a fair point about Beckham being someone who can play outside the team's concept, but that may not be the case if he's a Chief in 2022.
At any rate, the mere development of Beckham possibly being interested in the Chiefs and there being so much buzz about it is both a testament to his profile as a player and Kansas City's possible need at the position. It's difficult to win a championship in the NFL without multiple high-end playmakers and while the Chiefs make do with what they have, adding more talent is rarely a bad idea. It's something to consider, especially if there are any remnants of mutual interest.
