Odell Beckham Jr. Day with Cowboys: Taking Medicals, 'Making Music'
FRISCO - An early aspect of the Dallas Cowboys’ courtship of Odell Beckham Jr. is basic and essential: He is in DFW today and is undergoing a physical exam.
And after that?
“We’ve got a quarterback could really make some music with him,” said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, almost certainly revealing to the media a line he'll be using on free agent receiver OBJ over the course of his two scheduled days here at and near The Star. “I think we’ve got an offensive line that would give the quarterback time to make some music with him.''
Take the medical.
Make the music.
This endeavor is obviously more complicated than that, as all parties know. But one this is clear: While there has been speculation about which team Beckham prefers (Cowboys? Giants? Bills? Others?), it is quite clear what Jones wants.
“I want this to work,'' Jones said bluntly following Dallas' 54-19 Sunday pounding of the Colts. "I want it to work. I’ve felt very good about his opinion about what we’re about as Cowboys. We have felt and been public about it, what he is as a ballplayer and what he is as an NFL competitor. All of those things are nothing but complimentary.
“He’s the real deal.''
Jerry has "negotiated'' this way before - being almost too open - and he will admit that the results have been mixed. Same with his roll-the-dice approach to "risky'' signings; he knows there are no guarantees, maybe especially when the coveted player is coming off knee surgery amid questions about whether he's truly ready to play.
But the more Jones talks about the idea, the more it sounds like he's talking himself into the gamble.
"I’m going to be trying to make it work,'' he said. "So I’m going to be looking for reasons to (sign OBJ), not reasons not to (sign OBJ).”
Beckham has experienced spurts of wonderful production, and has also been a centerpiece of controversy. Jones and most everyone else in this building has made peace with the balance. (At this moment, "in the building'' means the medical staff meeting with OBJ.) The owner has been careful to mention multiple times that he wants this signing to enhance the 2022 Dallas team's Super Bowl chances.
Help in 2023? Maybe. Long-term deal? Maybe. But increase the 9-3 Cowboys' chance to win it all? Jerry will enter his discussions with Beckham - after the Monday physical (and the Mavs game) and maybe throughout Tuesday as OBJ hangs with the Dak Prescott-led team "Leadership Council'' - with that as a pivotal focus.
“I’ll know it when I feel it,” said Jones, who clearly has "The Jerry Itch'' to do something impactful. “I think the promise of it might work. The willingness to take the risk can be worth the money.”
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