Per Adam Schefter, the Baltimore Ravens have offered Odell Beckham Jr. a contract. The value of the contract is unknown, but some believe that Beckham is after a deal that pays around $15 million per year.
The Ravens have been in the Beckham sweepstakes for a while now. They showed interest last season but never pulled the trigger. However, it is clear they have been monitoring Beckham’s situation since January as they were present at his workout in Arizona. The New York Jets are rumored to be Baltimore’s biggest rivals, but the Kansas City Chiefs are also believed to be interested.
Despite the competition, Baltimore is the only team to have offered Beckham a contract. As such, they are now the frontrunners to land his services. The team has also been linked with DeAndre Hopkins and Courtland Sutton, but it appears that they now have their sights set on Beckham.
The Ravens have made an offer to Odell Beckham Jr., per @AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/0cQbcTK3qu
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 3, 2023
How Odell Beckham Jr Fits With Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore’s interest in Beckham is unsurprising. The team is in desperate need of wide receivers and their lack of receiver depth was truly exposed last season. After Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay both went down for the year, Baltimore was left with little quality and even less depth.
However, Beckham would not only bolster Baltimore’s depth. Indeed, if the Ravens acquire the former Super Bowl champion, they would be adding a proven primary receiver to their team. With Todd Monken expected to reignite Baltimore’s passing offense, adding Beckham will put Monken in the best position to succeed.
Should Baltimore add Beckham, their receiving depth chart would look something like this:
LWR – Odell Beckham Jr.
SLWR – Devin Duvernay/Nelson Agholor
TE – Mark Andrews
RWR – Rashod Bateman
As evidenced, adding Odell Beckham would alleviate some of the pressure off the younger receivers on the Ravens. Bateman has looked great when healthy, but he has struggled to play much since being drafted in 2021. If the Ravens can pair Beckham with him, they can lessen Bateman’s workload and ease him back into the team.
Beckham’s addition also gives more freedom to Duvernay. Duvernay was forced to play as a boundary wideout at times this season. However, he is clearly most effective in the slot. Thus, by having Beckham and Bateman, Duvernay will have free reign in the slot and Monken will be able to dial up creative plays for him while opposing defenses will need to focus on the wide threats.
Since drafting Lamar Jackson in 2018, the Ravens have not had an elite receiving weapon outside of Mark Andrews. Adding Beckham would therefore be a huge addition for them and would show that the team is finally willing to invest at a premium skill position.
Baltimore Could Salvage Embarrassing Free Agency
The Ravens have had an embarrassing free agency so far. Jackson’s contract situation has boiled over, such that he has now demanded a trade. The probability of him staying in Baltimore is still high, but it is still a bad look for the franchise.
Due to the standoff with Jackson, it seems that the front office has been unable to make any real moves in free agency. Their only external signing was Nelson Agholor, though the team was rumored to be close to landing Darius Slay.
However, all this can be saved if Baltimore lands Odell Beckham, a big-time free agent at a premium position of need. With that said, it is unclear whether Beckham’s arrival is contingent on Jackson’s commitment to Baltimore. Would Beckham still want to go to Baltimore if Jackson is not there? Or perhaps it is the other way around: the Ravens plan to sign Beckham in order to appease Jackson into staying in Baltimore.
Main Photo: Jasen Vinlove – USA Today Sports
