Odell Beckham Jr. embracing role with Dolphins: ‘There’s just a lot of room for opportunity’

Odell Beckham Jr. is on his fourth team in four years, joining the Miami Dolphins this offseason. Beckham played with the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams in 2021, missed the 2022 season due to an ACL injury and was on the Baltimore Ravens in 2023.

He signed a one-year deal with Miami, an AFC contender with a lot of strengths on offense. Joining quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle has already been a positive experience for OBJ. He has not been with the team for long, but understands that his role is not to be the top pass catcher. 

“You just all push each other,” Beckham said (via the Palm Beach Post). “And for me at this place, my life, and my career, I haven’t been the No. 1 in a minute, you could go back and look at targets, you can go look at anything. That’s not really where I’ve been at.”

The 31-year-old finished the 2023 season with 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns, which is a stark difference from his peak of 96 receptions for 1,450 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2015. OBJ did however have a career-high in yards per catch at 16.1 last year. 

Beckham Jr. is a solid addition to an offense, but he is not the player he once was, and he knows it. Right now he is focused on helping the team in whatever way he can. 

“So, just understanding your role and how can you be the very best at that role? How can you maximize those opportunities?” he said.

Beckham is fully aware of where he is at in his career and has an approach that his younger self did not have.

“I feel like I used to carry a lot of anger or resentment or whatever it was,” Beckham said. “And now I just feel at peace. You’re able to train. You’re able to play the game that you love again. You kind of get past all the business side or whatever could be holding you back.”

The free agent had some options this offseason and was ultimately convinced to take his talents to South Beach because of head coach Mike McDaniel. 

When looking at film together, the HC had a solid plan for how to best utilize OBJ. 

“Watching the film, this reminds me of a place I had a lot of success at, as far [as] the Giants,” Beckham said. “The timing. And all the things [McDaniel] preaches. We talked about football and it got me excited. … Coach was mentioning that on third down, they were getting a lot of doubling both of them [Hill and Waddle]. And there’s just a lot of room for opportunity.”

McDaniel had the same positive experience sitting down and discussing the game with the wide receiver. 

“He sold it to me,” McDaniel said. “It’s just his energy. We speak the same language. The conversations we had about football.”

In what could be his last team, Beckham Jr. wants to end his career with an exclamation point. 

“I’m a competitor,” Beckham said. “Forget the middle part. You read a book. The start is going to capture us. You read the body of the story. And how’s it going to end? That’s where I’m at [in my career]. Let’s have a great ending to this story.”