There are some around the NFL that are starting to question if free agent Odell Beckham Jr. is actually healthy enough to make a legitimate impact in 2022.
Aside from teams around the league making a final push for the playoffs in the home stretch of the 2022 NFL season, the biggest story around the sport is where free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will ply his trade for the remainder of the year.
Rarely is a player of his caliber available this late in the season. However, the 30-year-old is only on the NFL free-agent market because he tore the ACL in his left knee for the second time in as many years during this year’s Super Bowl. He has spent the months since rehabbing and getting himself back in football shape to cash in on a big late-season payday.
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While the belief is Odell Beckham Jr. could be the final piece to a championship puzzle for some teams, like he was for the Los Angeles Rams last season, there are those around the NFL that is starting to doubt if he is healthy enough to be a difference maker for whatever team that signs him in the next week.
Odell Beckham Jr. won’t work out for teams during visits this week
The recovery time for an ACL tear can range anywhere from six to nine months. The three-time Pro-Bowler is right on the back end of that projection after tearing the ligament in February. Meaning, in theory, he should be more than ready to jump back into high-level professional football now.
However, a red flag was raised earlier this week when it was reported that Odell Beckham Jr. will not be working out for the New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys when he visits with those teams. Not showcasing how healthy you are is an odd move for a player rumored to be looking for a multi-year deal with an annual salary of around $20 million.
That red flag has seemingly set off an alarm with some organizations. On Friday, Fox Sports NFL insider Ralph Vacchiano reported that there is “‘considerable doubt’ around the league about just how healthy Beckham is and whether he’ll really be able to contribute much this season.”
In the end, it seems like that has not deterred those teams from meeting with the star wideout. However, they should be very careful in the money they do pay him because his returning to the player he once was after a second tear to the same ACL does seem less likely.