The Los Angeles Rams were aggressive in upgrading their roster for the stretch run last year, and it led to the signing of three-time Pro Bowler Odell Beckham Jr. after he was granted a release from the Cleveland Browns.
Beckham quickly became an important piece for the offense as Robert Woods suffered a season-ending ACL injury shortly after his arrival. Stepping in as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver, the 29-year-old hauled in 27 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns over eight regular-season games (seven starts).
Beckham played his best football when it mattered most as he recorded 113 yards in the Rams’ win against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game and scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl LVI. He unfortunately tore his ACL later in the game but is expected to make a full recovery.
Beckham is now set to become a free agent later this month but has indicated he prefers to stay with the Rams and may be willing to sacrifice salary to make that a reality.
After making a good impression on the franchise, Rams general manager Les Snead confirmed the team has strong interest in re-signing Beckham, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic:
“It’s unfortunate that Odell had an injury,” Snead said, “(but) yes, we’d definitely like to have Odell (re-signed), you just know that he might miss the first half of the season or something like that.”
Historically, most recoveries from a torn ACL typically take 9-12 months, meaning Beckham will likely need to spend the majority of the 2022 season rehabbing the injury.
If that winds up being the case, Snead is looking at the bright side and believes a healthy Beckham could benefit the Rams late in the season:
“The positive” (if Beckham does miss a substantial period of time),” said Snead, “is that you may get someone with very fresh legs for the stretch mark, similarly to maybe how we did it this year.”
If the Rams are able to re-sign Beckham, it would help them maintain one of the most talented wide receiver groups in the NFL, led by Cooper Kupp, Woods and Van Jefferson.
Since becoming a Super Bowl champion last month, Beckham announced that he underwent successful ACL surgery and the birth of his first child, Zydn.
