The Baltimore Ravens had high hopes for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. after signing him to a one-year deal worth up to $15 million in the 2023 offseason. While he hasn’t lived up to that contract so far with his play, he’s still given the team some positives, especially when it comes to his penalty drawing ability.
When Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh was asked about Beckham’s ability to catch the defense off-guard and draw penalties, he talked about how pass interference is the same as a catch in the NFL, so it works out for everyone. However, he also said he expects Beckham to pop and getting some big catches for the team moving forward.
“It really is. Odell [Beckham Jr.] is super talented, very determined, really has a high standard for himself [and] really works hard. I really think that’s indicative of his reputation. It’s like, they know who he is. They know he’s No. 3, and they do not want to give up a completion to him. He’s being covered that way, and he draws two huge defensive pass interference calls. Now, Odell and Lamar [Jackson] and all of us want those to be catches, but pass interference is the same as a catch in this league – almost. A touchdown would be a touchdown. You have to put it at the 1[-yard line], [and] you have to go score. That’s the difference – that’s the only difference. I was happy with the way he played. I was happy with the fact that he was targeted. Then, he got hit in the ribs on the sideline play and had to go out for a little while. [He] came back in [and] didn’t really get targeted too much, but did get the one big play – the pass interference [penalty]. [He] was blocking well, which you probably didn’t see [on television]. He’s playing really well. I just think it’s going to pop. He’s going to start getting some big catches for us.”