Panthers Pitched as Surprise Landing Spot for Odell Beckham Jr. After Giants Release

When I first saw Odell Beckham Jr. and the Panthers mentioned together, I didn't really know what to think. Beckham is 33 years old, the Giants just released him after three games, and he didn't catch a single pass.

So yeah, my first reaction was pretty much: Why would Carolina do this?

But I thought about it a little more, and I don't completely hate the idea. I'm definitely not saying the Panthers need to run out and sign OBJ, but I can at least understand why Carolina would be mentioned.

Why the Panthers Were Mentioned

Bleacher Report's Mike Chiari named Carolina as one of three possible landing spots for Beckham, along with the Los Angeles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders.

Most of his argument comes down to Carolina's receiver room. Jalen Coker suffered a quad strain against Cleveland and is questionable for Sunday's game against Detroit. Tetairoa McMillan and Coker have been Bryce Young's top two receivers, and after those two, I'm not sure there's another receiver on this roster that really scares anybody.

Chiari wrote that receiver “depth is a need regardless of Coker's health status.”

I think that's fair. Even if Coker is fine and doesn't miss much time, adding some depth isn't a bad idea. We've already seen how important he has become to this offense, and if either Coker or McMillan goes down for any length of time, things get thin pretty quickly.

Chiari also pointed out that Carolina doesn't have the veteran presence at receiver it has had the last couple of years with Adam Thielen and Hunter Renfrow. He wrote that Beckham “checks some of the boxes that are currently unaddressed.”

That's the part that made me think about this a little more.

Would I Actually Sign OBJ?

I really don't know.

If you're signing Beckham because of the name and expecting anything close to the player we watched with the Giants years ago, I'm not interested. That version of OBJ is long gone, and I think everybody knows that.

What bothers me more is what just happened in New York. Beckham barely played, was targeted once, and didn't catch a pass. Giants coach John Harbaugh said they “weren't getting enough” from that roster spot, and three games into the season, Beckham was gone.

That's not exactly a great sales pitch.

But here's where I keep going back and forth. If Beckham is willing to come in knowing he's not going to be the No. 1 receiver, and you're not paying him much, is there really that much risk in at least taking a look?

McMillan and Coker should still be the guys. I'm not taking targets away from either one of them just because Odell Beckham Jr. walks into the building. But if Beckham can still give you something as a third or fourth option, maybe there's a role for him.

And that's a pretty big if.

I wouldn't make this some big move just because of the name on the back of the jersey. Bring him in, see what he has left, and make him earn whatever role he gets. If he can't help you, then you move on.

Do the Panthers need Odell Beckham Jr.? I don't think so. But if Carolina brought him in for a workout this week, I'd definitely be interested to see what he has left.

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