Odell Beckham Jr. was officially introduced as a member of the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday, marking the fifth stop of his NFL career.
The difference is that this time, Beckham understands going into this that he is going to be nothing more than an auxiliary option for the Dolphins.
Miami already has one of the league’s top receiving tandems in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, so Beckham will be the No. 3 receiver. That is not something he is used to.
Beckham spoke about having to fight for targets in South Beach on Wednesday, and he seems to be embracing the competition.
“I got to go get back on the track, I guess, for a second, because there’s some speed down here on this team,” Beckham said, via Nick Shook of NFL.com. “I’ve never shied away from competition or anything like that. I just see — coach (Mike McDaniel) and I were talking about it. He was saying that on third downs, [Hill and Waddle] they were getting a lot of doubling both of them. There’s just a lot of room for opportunity looking at it.”
That’s a good word for it: opportunity.
The days of Beckham being a No. 1 receiver are long gone. He hasn’t posted a 1,000-yard campaign since 2019 when he was with the Cleveland Browns, and this past season, he logged just 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns with the Baltimore Ravens.
Those numbers came as the Ravens’ No. 2 receiver behind Zay Flowers.
“I think that it will be a great matchup,” added Beckham. “I think we all have different skillsets, but all the same skillsets in one — all people who make plays. I’m just looking forward to the opportunity.”
The question is, will Beckham be okay taking a backseat to Hill and Waddle?
In fairness to the 31-year-old. he was a good soldier in Baltimore in spite of playing second fiddle to Flowers, who was just a rookie in 2023. He also accepted his role with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, and he ended up being a significant factor in their Super Bowl run.
But this is really the first time that Beckham is signing on to be a No. 3 receiver anywhere. Perhaps reality has hit the LSU product, who was once arguably the most talented wide out in football.
At this stage of his career, Beckham is going to have to accept the fact that he is not a top gun anymore. And you know what? It seems like he is coming to grips with it.
We’ll see how Odell Beckham Jr. manages in Miami next season.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
