Getty The Cowboys could sign Odell Beckham Jr.
The Dallas Cowboys could be an “under-the-radar” landing spot for one of the top free agents on the market.
Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report compiled a list of teams that could be possible landing spots for veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., with the Cowboys being among the potential destinations. The 29-year-old receiver remains a free agent as he continues his recovery from a torn ACL injury suffered in Super Bowl LVI.
“A reunion with the Los Angeles Rams has always felt the likeliest outcome, even though the reigning champions signed Allen Robinson II,” said Zucker. “The Green Bay Packers check all of the boxes as well since they have a legendary quarterback, a championship-caliber squad and a positional need after trading Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Taking those two off the table, the New England Patriots could be in the mix given Beckham’s respect for head coach Bill Belichick. The Dallas Cowboys did little to replace Amari Cooper after trading him to the Cleveland Browns.”
Cowboys Lacking Healthy Viable Receivers for Week 1
The Cowboys’ wide receiver group in 2021 was arguably the deepest in the league with Pro Bowler CeeDee Lamb, four-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper, Cedrick Wilson and Michael Gallup. However, Cooper was traded to the Cleveland Browns in the offseason while Wilson departed as a free agent and signed with the Miami Dolphins.
While Lamb and Gallup will each return, the latter will miss the beginning of the 2021 season as he continues his own recovery from an ACL injury. Gallup recently told reporters that he won’t play in the Cowboys’ Week 1 season opener versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That means Lamb will be the only established receiver in the Cowboys’ lineup at the start of the season. Dallas also signed James Washington — who disappointed as a second-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers — and drafted Jalen Tolbert in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft.
In other words, the Cowboys’ wide receiver group after Lamb and Gallup isn’t exactly a loaded set of receivers. Considering Dallas has Super Bowl aspirations, Beckham could be that missing piece that the Cowboys need to get over the hump. The Los Angeles Rams made a major move by trading for Beckham in the middle of last season. Beckham ended up playing a major role in the team’s Super Bowl run, catching a touchdown pass in the big game.
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Report: Beckham Won’t Return Until October or November
However, Beckham won’t be ready until October or November, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
“But Beckham could take his time here because talking to teams, they don’t expect Beckham to be healthy until October or maybe even November, as far as ‘full-go’ back from that ACL,” Fowler said. “So Beckham can take his time, maybe even wait until the first couple of weeks of the season, see who’s hot, who needs a receiver. He will likely go to a contender.”
By that point in the season, the Cowboys will know whether or not they can rely on Washington and Tolbert as secondary receivers. If neither player proves to be viable as a third option or slot receiver, Dallas could make the big move by signing Beckham.