Matthew Stafford Wants 'My Guy' Odell Beckham Back on Rams
Matthew Stafford is spending the Los Angeles Rams' bye-week shopping. He's apparently hoping his employers are doing the same.
TMZ caught up with Stafford and his wife Kelley as they were shopping in SoCal and addressed the Beckham rumors that have followed the Rams (3-3) ever since he hit the open free agent market after helping the team win Super Bowl LVI. Even in an off period, Stafford can't avoid questions about the defending champions' slow start on offense, a mire he hasn't avoided in the early going.
When asked if Beckham could help the team out of its sputtering .500 pace, Stafford claims that's "absolutely" the case, perhaps indirectly shutting down the trope that Beckham doesn't get along with his quarterbacks.
"Odell's my guy, O's my guy!" Stafford said. "I keep in contact with him. I know he's been trying to get healthy. We'll see what happens."
Beckham has remained unemployed primarily thanks to a torn ACL aggravated during his Super Bowl showcase, his second in less than two calendar years. Such an injury will likely keep Beckham off the field until November, but that hasn't stopped the receiver from making apparent pitches across the league. The Buffalo Bills have also been frequently mentioned as a contender for Beckham's services, especially with fellow brief yet victorious Ram Von Miller in tow.
Over eight regular season games, Beckham and Stafford united for 305 yards on 27 receptions, five of which went for touchdowns after he came over from the Cleveland Browns. Beckham then put 288 yards on 21 receptions during Los Angeles' four-game trek to a hometown Lombardi Trophy hoist.
Despite the Rams' disappointing start, they're engaged in a three-way tie for the early NFC West lead with San Francisco and Seattle. The former, whom the Rams will face in their return to action next weekend (1:25 p.m. PT, Fox), recently gave itself an apparent advantage for the road ahead, sending four picks to the woebegone Carolina Panthers in exchange for All-Pro rusher Christian McCaffrey.
In his brief TMZ solicitation, Stafford addressed the 49ers' gambit, calling the transaction "a tough one."
"He's a great player," Stafford said, recalling that the Rams bested McCaffrey's former group just last week at SoFi Stadium. "We played him last week when he was in Carolina, we'll play him again (next week) when he's in San Fran. Double the trouble!"
In other words, it sounds like the Rams could use all the offensive help they can get.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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