It was recently revealed that the Baltimore Ravens are among the top five teams in the hunt to sign Odell Beckham Jr. The interest turned into “talks” recently, with the team having allegedly met with the 30-year-old.
Free agent WR Odell Beckham Jr. has visits setup with the #Giants, #Cowboys and #Bills — and has also be in conversations with the #Ravens and #Chiefs, per @JosinaAnderson.
Visits will start in early December.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 24, 2022
Despite the talks, it is unclear if the Ravens’ interest in Beckham Jr. will ultimately result in him signing with Baltimore. Beckham Jr. has visited the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills already. He is set to visit the Dallas Cowboys on Monday. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has spoken highly about Beckham Jr. and has publicly sung his praises, allowing for rumors to swirl.
Both the Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs were not named in Beckham Jr.’s free agency tour. That does not necessarily mean that the former Los Angeles Ram will not join the Ravens though. Until Beckham Jr. has formally decided, any of the five listed teams are possible landing spots. It is expected that Beckham Jr. will make a decision soon.
The Ravens are interested in Beckham Jr., but it remains to be seen whether they can beat out the other competitors.
Baltimore Ravens Hoping to Sign Odell Beckham
The Ravens being interested in Beckham Jr. is no real surprise. The team are currently 7-4, atop the AFC North, and would benefit greatly from the services of Beckham Jr for their path to the playoffs.
Baltimore lost Rashod Bateman to season-ending surgery earlier in the year. The sophomore receiver was expected to be the team’s primary receiver this season. He did an admirable job at the start of 2022, but his season has been derailed by injury.
In Bateman’s absence, the Ravens initially used Devin Duvernay as the primary receiver. However, Duvernay seemed better suited to the WR2 role, with a fair number of gadget plays. The team have since used DeMarcus Robinson as their top receiver. He was excellent against the Carolina Panthers but was a non-factor against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The team also signed DeSean Jackson earlier this season, to help with depth. He has impressed coaches since his arrival and has played a rotational role with the team so far. Behind Jackson, there is little depth. James Proche has had an underwhelming career so far and Tylan Wallace has been a healthy scratch on many occasions. The team recently re-signed Shemar Bridges, a player who garnered a lot of hype in preseason. However, none of these would be ideal options come the playoffs.
Last season, the Rams signed Beckham Jr. to bolster their squad for a Super Bowl run. The Ravens need to do the same. Given Baltimore’s lack of receiver depth, Beckham Jr. is more than a necessity for the Ravens.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have done an admirable job to earn pole position in the AFC North despite the lack of a primary receiver. Just imagine what Jackson could do with a legitimate weapon like Beckham Jr.
The Potential Concerns with Beckham Jr.
Though the Ravens are interested in Beckham Jr., there is no doubt that part of that interest comes with concern too. Perhaps the most obvious of these is Beckham Jr.’s injury. The Super Bowl winner suffered an ACL injury that mean that he was ruled out for a large part of this season. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to suit up within the next few weeks.
This is particularly a problem for the Ravens given their history with injuries. Ideally, the Ravens would find receiver depth now to facilitate a push for the playoffs. Beckham Jr. would, therefore, seem a luxury rather than a solution to current woes. To fix their current issue with depth, the Ravens could look to other, cheaper free agent wide receivers who are ready to play immediately.
There is also a question mark surrounding whether Beckham Jr. would be that interested in linking up with the Ravens. In the off-season, Marquise Brown was traded to the Arizona Cardinals due to dissatisfaction with his opportunities in Greg Roman’s offense. While Beckham Jr.’s priorities seem a little different, he could still find himself frustrated by a low target volume in Baltimore.
Another concern is the future. The Ravens would be unable to give Beckham Jr. a long-term deal given their current cap situation. Sure, they could open some space with restructures, but it seems likely that they will need to find the money to pay many big contracts this off-season, including Jackson and Roquan Smith, whom they traded for earlier this year.
The Ravens also have many young wide receivers. If they introduce Beckham Jr. to the fold long term, they could hamper the development of their younger guys. Bateman, Duvernay and Wallace would likely have fewer opportunities with Beckham Jr. around.
