Odell Beckham Jr Has His Workout; Now What?
Receiver Odell Beckham's private workout wasn't quite on the same scale as the combine or Senior Bowl since not every team was present--CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported that only 11 teams--Panthers, Giants, Patriots, Rams, Cardinals, 49ers, Bills, Chiefs, Vikings, Browns, and Ravens--attended the workout.
New York Giants receivers coach Mike Groh and a member of the personnel department represented the Giants at the workout, their eyes glued on the receiver's first workout for teams since suffering his second ACL tear 13 months ago.
Those in attendance were reportedly treated to a show in which Beckham, at times, looked like the OBJ of old, complete with his customary one-handed receptions.
Beckham looked to be in premium shape physically. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, citing a source that attended the workout, said that Beckham's body type resembled a cross between Giants running back Saquon Barkley and 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel.
With the workout completed, interested teams will likely dive deeper into Beckham's medical records to ensure everything is stable. Once that bridge is crossed, there would be a matter of a contract.
Spotrac estimates Beckham's market value to be $13.1 million per season based on a two-year, $26,359,990 deal. The Giants have made no secret of their desire to add depth at every position, including receiver, where they currently have Wan'Dale Robinson and Isaiah Hodgins under contract once they shed Kenny Golladay's contract on March 15.
But while the Giants owed it to themselves to do due diligence on Beckham, with whom they had a good meeting last December, the team currently has $13,048,687 in effective cap space (what will be needed to add players once the Top 51 rule goes into effect on March 15).
If he is designated a standard release, the Golladay release will give the Giants another $6.9 million of breathing room, including funds for the team's 11-member draft class.
Still, the Giants, who are not expected to go wild with free agency spending, are thought to prioritize the ball's defensive side in free agency, specifically, linebacker and interior defensive line depth.
That means they might not be able to add Beckham to the mix even if they wanted to unless they could extend the contracts of defensive linemen Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence to clear more cap space, or unless Beckham is willing to come in on a much lower deal than his market projection.
Beckham is looking to return to the NFL after missing all last year while recovering from a torn ACL in the Super Bowl while with the Rams in 2021. That year, he posted 44 receptions for 537 yards and five touchdowns, splitting time between the Browns and Rams.
In the postseason, Beckham contributed 21 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns in the Rams' Super Bowl championship run.
Last year, Beckham went on a late-season mini free-agent tour with visits to the Bills, Giants, and Cowboys, all of whom took the opportunity to meet and get to know him but who did not, at the time, get to see him work out.
The Giants have vowed to continue building the franchise around quarterback Daniel Jones, who inked a four-year, $160 million extension last week. A healthy Beckham could help with that, but unless the fits are there in both locker room presence, money, and skill, the Giants might be better off adding to its receiver corps with a veteran from the second wave of free agency and the draft.
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