Getty Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. #3 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates at M&T Bank Stadium on January 02, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Buffalo Bills are seen as a frontrunner to land Odell Beckham Jr. when he returns from a torn ACL.
One longtime insider doesn’t believe the hype.
Attention has been building around the impending decision from Beckham, who is in the final stages of rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in last year’s Super Bowl. There have been several teams named as potential suitors for the Pro Bowl wide receiver, with many expecting the Bills to be at the front of the pack.
But WGRZ’s Vic Carucci, who has covered the NFL for four decades, doesn’t see the Bills making a splash with Beckham.
Bills Could Hold Back
In a mailbag published on October 21, Carucci fielded a question from a fan who asked if the Bills were really prepared to make a splash by signing Beckham. Carucci was doubtful, noting that the Bills already have a lot of capable receivers for quarterback Josh Allen to spread the ball around to and some question marks surrounding Beckham.
“I’m not seeing it,” Carucci wrote.
“The Bills’ passing game is the strongest in the NFL. They have arguably the best one-two receiver combination in Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. They are simply not in need of help in this area.”
Carucci went on to question whether Beckham would be the immediate impact signing that some believe him to be, noting that it could take until December for him to be cleared to return and uncertain whether he will be at full strength.
“Who would you like to see getting fewer targets so that OBJ can get the ones he undoubtedly will demand to make joining the Bills or any team worth his while?” Carucci wrote.
Beckham and Former Teammate Sparking Speculation
Beckham has done plenty to fuel the speculation of a Bills signing, and former teammate Von Miller has been helping. Miller has been openly recruiting Beckham since the summer, and recently seemed to guarantee that he would be coming to Buffalo later this season.
“He’s coming here, man,” Miller said last week, via SI.com. “He’s coming to the Bills.”
It’s a proclamation that Miller has made a few times this season, but he also made it clear that it’s more than just idle speculation. The two have remained close since the roughly half-season they spent with the Rams, with Miller coming via trade and Beckham signing there after his release from the Cleveland Browns.
“I talk to OBJ just about every week, checking in with him, keeping in touch with him,” Miller said, via USA Today. “He’s a vet in this league, he understands the way teams are built and I’m sure he looks at our team and I’m sure he can see himself fitting on our team.”
Free-agent WR Odell Beckham is still recovering from his injury and won’t be available to play until mid-December, two team executives tell ESPN.
Explains why his market hasn’t changed so far this season.
The Bills have already lost out on one rumored target when the Carolina Panthers traded running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. John Wawrow of The Associated Press reported that the Bills had been in discussions with the Panthers and were prepared to make an offer, but were beaten out by the 49ers.
“Hearing the #Bills offered a second-round draft pick for CMC, but weren’t prepared to budge further,” Wawrow tweeted.