OBJ: Late start with Fins due to ‘a lot going

Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPNOct 3, 2024, 05:27 PM ET

Close

MIAMI — Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made his practice debut this week, four months after signing with the team in May.

Beckham, who was sidelined throughout the offseason program with what has since been described as a knee injury, was placed on the physically unable to perform list and missed the Dolphins’ first four games as a result. The three-time Pro Bowler said his late start was due to a combination of offseason knee surgery and a desire to spend more time with his family.

“It was a lot going on in my life — personal life, businesses, all of that,” Beckham said. “It just kind of had me in a place where football wasn’t exactly a priority. I have a son, he’s 2 years old — don’t get much time to spend with him. I feel like he’s growing up fast and I’m not having that much time. So, football wasn’t exactly the first and foremost thing in my mind.”

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

After waiting “too late” to have the “small cleanup” procedure on his knee, Beckham said he was prepared to sign with a team during the regular season so he could have time to heal without the pressure of being ready for training camp. A conversation with Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, however, convinced him otherwise.

Neither McDaniel nor Beckham committed to the wide receiver making his season debut Sunday against the New England Patriots, but he is eligible to return after missing the minimum required games for a player on the PUP list.

His placement on that list, Beckham said, was a “selfless act,” considering incentives count $5.25 million toward the total value of his $8.25 million contract.

“I hate the feeling of walking around this building hurt, and the PUP list means I can’t practice with the team, so I can’t practice with the team and be on the field,” Beckham said. “So it’s just something that I kind of had to follow, not what I wanted to do.

“But for me, it was a selfless act because if I’m not on the PUP list, I’m taking up a roster spot, which means I’m taking someone else’s job while I’m not doing anything. It’s not really a good feeling to have. So, it was what was best for this team and organization.”

The Dolphins signed Beckham as a third receiving option behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but the league’s top-ranked offense from a season ago has sputtered to start the 2024 season. Miami ranks last in scoring, 24th in rushing yards per game and 23rd in passing yards per game. Hill and Waddle lead the team with 217 and 212 receiving yards, respectively, but no other Dolphins receiver has more than 30 receiving yards this season.

Beckham said he hangs out with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa every day, but the two won’t be able to build on-field chemistry for at least the next couple of weeks. Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in Week 2 and was placed on injured reserve; he’s not eligible to return until Week 8.

Beckham, however, does have a connection with current starting quarterback Tyler Huntley, who was his teammate with the Baltimore Ravens last season. Beckham said Huntley did a good job in his first start for the Dolphins last week, and that it’s up to the team’s playmakers to elevate him moving forward.

And while there is pressure on Miami’s entire offense to perform, Beckham doesn’t feel any additional pressure on himself.

“I think at this point in my life, pressure is why I got into this game. It was never for the attention,” Beckham said. “There’s something about knowing that it’s time to perform and then showing up and performing. … We got to get going. We got to start making plays. Defense has been playing great. Offense is our time. Got to take over. There was a reason I came to this offense is because I’d seen what they did all last year.

“There’s no time to panic, but it’s definitely a time to have a sense of urgency.”

Source