Four seasons ago, Eli Apple and Odell Beckham Jr. were teammates with the New York Giants, where they enjoyed two seasons together on the team. Today, they’re both getting prepared to play in the biggest games of their lives as they wait for Super Bowl LVI to kick off.
Of course, now Apple is a starting cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals, and OBJ is a starting wide receiver on the Los Angeles Rams. Both former first-round picks, amazingly although they occurred in different years, Apple was actually selected two slots higher than OBJ, going 10th, respectively.
It’s probably safe to say that both players haven’t had the exact career paths they envisioned when entering the league, but here they are, ready to play the Super Bowl, with a chance to win the first ring of their professional career.
Now, in the biggest moment of their football lives, Apple has asked if he can cover Beckham Jr., shadowing him around the field wherever the receiver goes. Apple backed up his thoughts based on his experience practicing against him for two seasons in New York, noting that he feels he knows all of OBJ’s playing tendencies.
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Odell Beckham Jr. is likely to get the best of Eli Apple
Although his tenure didn’t end well in Cleveland, Odell Beckham Jr. is back to being a playmaker now that he’s paired with Matthew Stafford. The scary part is, we’ve likely yet to see the best of what he has to offer. OBJ joined the Rams mid-season and has had to learn a new offense on the fly, while developing chemistry with his new QB. Meanwhile, he’s averaging 78.6 receiving yards per game throughout the playoffs.
As far as Eli Apple, he is starting for a Super Bowl team, but he’s not a big reason for their success. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, Apple has graded poorly this season, with a 61 PFF grade. Yet, like OBJ, Apple has played some of his best football as of late and actually has a higher man coverage grade than Jalen Ramsey this season.
This could either end up being one of the bigger mistakes of his football career, or it could help Apple secure a bigger payday this time around in free agency. With his one-year, $1.2 million contract set to expire after the Super Bowl, Apple will be an unrestricted free agent.
We’ll see if the Bengals even allow Apple to shadow OBJ first.
