Getty Mac Jones, Odell Beckham
The biggest NFL news of the day on November 5 was the official release of popular wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Immediately, the New England Patriots were mentioned as a potential landing spot for the receiver. Things got a little more practical when we learned Beckham could be a free agent if he clears waivers that would require the interested team to pay him $7.25 million for the rest of the season.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter shares the list of teams with enough cap space to claim Beckham Jr.
While teams always have ways to create salary-cap space, as of this morning, nine NFL teams had over $7.25M in cap space, the amount now needed to claim Odell Beckham, Jr. next week: Jaguars, Eagles, Broncos, Seahawks, Panthers, Chargers, Steelers, Washington, Bengals.
While adding Beckham Jr. on what figures to be an affordable contract–assuming he clears waivers as expected–would provide the Patriots with the sort of playmaker they haven’t had since Randy Moss helped Tom Brady re-write the record books more than a decade ago. On the flipside, there may be some concern Beckham Jr’s presence might be too much for the Patriots’ rookie quarterback Mac Jones to handle.
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ESPN’s J.C. Trotter wrote about the breakup between Beckham Jr. and the Browns. He chronicled the many on-the-field issues and referenced several quotes of people close to the situation that illustrates how Beckham Jr’s presence seemingly had a negative impact on Cleveland’s young quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Trotter wrote: “Those quarter-second misses have piled up. Over their time together, Mayfield underthrew or overthrew Beckham on 27% of his attempts, according to ESPN Stats & Information, the third-highest rate of any quarterback-receiving duo in the league. Mayfield has been far better throwing the ball to literally anyone else. His QBR targeting Beckham over the past three seasons is 58 (scale 0-to-100). But to every other Browns wide receiver, it is a combined 85.2. “Odell is in his head, and [Mayfield] is pressing every time [Beckham] is around,” one former Browns team source said. “Odell throws him off . … and it gets all f—ed up from there because Baker becomes indecisive.”
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Does New England want to risk having Beckham in Jones’ head?
Why New England is the Team That Can Handle Beckham Jr?
Trotter’s article points out some valid points. However, the Patriots have an environment in place that could offer the stability and accountability required to maintain order and chemistry.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has a program in place for Jones, and up to now, things have been mostly smooth. Belichick has long established expectations for his player’s behavior. It seems doubtful they would allow one player to send things off the rails.
Who Loses Snaps if the Patriots Acquire Odell Beckham Jr?
If the Patriots find a way to sign Beckham Jr., look for N’Keal Harry’s snap count to dip. Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor could also see a decrease of on-field time.
Beckham Jr. is the kind of dynamic talent that can help transform the Patriots’ offense. Yes, there is some baggage, but overall, going after him would be a worthwhile risk considering New England could possibly sign him for a reasonable amount.
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