Former NFL GM and current ESPN analyst Mike Tannenbaum believes that Odell Beckham Jr would be a great addition for the Dallas Cowboys.
Odell Beckham Jr is currently looking for a new team to play for in 2022, having been released by the Los Angeles Rams at the end of this last season, a season in which he also played for the Cleveland Browns.
The 29-year-old is certainly not the same man that he was when he first burst onto the scene and flourished with the New York Giants, and his numbers are a pretty big indicator of that as last year he only had 44 receptions for 537 yards in the regular season, although it did still produce 5 touchdowns.
However one problem that is hampering his ability to find a team is his ACL injury that he sustained in the Super Bowl, the second time he has suffered that injury having done the same whilst with the Browns in 2020.
Injuries creeping up around the league
As training camp gets underway, a number of players are already suffering from injuries as they begin to go through the grind of getting ready for the NFL season, some of them pretty serious. For instance newly-acquired Dallas Cowboys receiver James Washington suffered an injury that will keep him out for a reported 6-10 weeks.
The Cowboys are already having problems with receiver at the moment, after trading away Amari Cooper this offseason, whilst Michael Gallup will be something of an unknown as he comes back from a torn ACL he suffered last year.
But Mike Tannenbaum believes that these two stories can come together heading into the 2022 season.
What’s he said?
Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up, Tannenbaum felt that Beckham Jr would be a great addition for the Cowboys and that they needed to bring him on board as soon as possible in order for them to get the best out of him, despite his injury record:
“While I didn't text OBJ, if I did, here's what I would tell him. ‘You're the best player on the planet that is a free agent, you're not healthy right now’, but he will give them an explosive element while Michael Gallup comes back from injury ironically, the same ACL, and he was the best football player on the field the last time he played.“So while I agree with Tony Pollard, Dalton Schultz and other ways to control the line of scrimmage, he can hit a home run and be a game changer. So I am hard pressed to think Dan [Orlovsky], how in the world would the Dallas Cowboys not be a better football team with OBJ than without him. And when you think about the Rams and the Packers also having an interest, I do think there's a sense of urgency to sign OBJ as quickly as possible. “And I can tell you, as a former GM, when you're signing a player who's hurt, you want to sign them as soon as possible to help them through the rehab, get them to learn the playbook. So when they are ready to go, they can hit the ground running.”
Reports indicate that Beckham might not be in full shape until October or November, so it would be an awful long wait for the Cowboys if they were to bring him on board. And whilst they might be looking for someone to fill a position of need right away to cover for Washington’s injury, they would be far better off bringing in someone who is at least healthy now so that he can make an instant impact.