The Odell Beckham Jr. signing that many thought was a slam-dunk may have just clanked off the rim.
ESPN’s Ed Werder is reporting the Cowboys “have concerns” that the free agent receiver’s ACL rehab isn’t where they’d like it to be in order to feel good about his availability during this season’s playoff run. Werder goes on to say that the “possibility exists [that] signing him would have no benefit” until the 2023 season.
Beckham tore an ACL in the Super Bowl less than ten months ago. While he was not expected to work out with the Cowboys (just as he did not during previous visits with the Bills and Giants), the Dallas medical staff did meet with the three-time Pro Bowler and do a physical to get a better picture of Beckham’s recovery status.
Source: The #Cowboys have concerns after Odell Beckham Jr.’s physical that his recovery from torn left ACL in Super Bowl has not progressed enough to ensure he would play before mid-January and possibility exists signing him would have no benefit until 2023 season.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) December 6, 2022
Team owner Jerry Jones has made it clear throughout the recruitment process that the team would be expecting Beckham to make on-the-field contributions this year, even if only in the postseason.
On Tuesday morning, Jones told 105.3 The Fan that the severity of Beckham’s injury- to the same knee that has incurred several earlier injuries, including a previous ACL tear- was a genuine concern with no workout to judge.
“I’m not confident at all,” Jones said on the air, several hours ahead of Werder’s report. “And so that’s the issue. Now, we all realize that issue of health, that issue of availability is here every time. Just this one is very obvious and very pointed toward his injury that occurred last year in the Super Bowl. We’ve got a good bead on that. We’ve got a great read on his career. It’s not like a draft picking coming at you. You’ve got a lot of history here, and you can take a good look at not only the obvious- and that’s his performance- but also any issues regarding health. We’ve got to come in with our eyes wide open and it has to be addressed, and that’s when you can see if you can make a deal or not.”
Beckham attended Monday night’s Mavericks game with Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs. The trio sat courtside, and the home crowd even treated Beckham to an “O-B-J-O-B-J” chant.
When asked about the likelihood of coming to terms with Jones and the Cowboys, the veteran wideout smiled and told one reporter, “It’s a good possibility.”
But in light of Werder’s report, it may be less of a possibility than previously believed.
And Jones may have been hinting at that with his radio call-in Tuesday morning.
“These things, there’s a lot of variables, a lot of variables here, a lot of things to consider. It’s got to fit, and I mean that. It really does have to fit for both parties. There’s no gain if one or the other- the Cowboys or Odell- doesn’t have it where it feels good after you get it done. You can’t do anything that doesn’t last, because this is like getting married. You’re not getting together to have issues after you get together. So we’ve got to make sure we cover all the things that are important to him and important to us.”
There will certainly be more to come on this developing story.
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