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Odell Beckham Jr. hasn’t played a snap for the Baltimore Ravens yet, but he’s already being compared to a pair of franchise greats. The comparison comes from no less an authority than Derrick Mason, the Ravens’ all-time leading receiver.
Mason believes OBJ shares similarities with Anquan Boldin and Steve Smith Sr., per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. Specifically, Mason thinks Beckham “has dog in him. He truly does. That’s something you can’t teach. It’s just like Anquan [Boldin] had dog, and it’s just like Steve [Smith Sr.] and myself had it as well.”
There are obvious similarities between Beckham, Smith and Boldin. The latter pair also joined the Ravens during the winters of their careers, but still produced strong returns in the passing game.
Boldin and Smith also brought a psychological toughness Beckham possesses, according to Mason: “OBJ follows in a long line of guys coming in that receiver room playing with the mentality of a defensive player.”
Squeezing the last few drops of production from veteran pass-catchers has been a happy habit for the Ravens. It helped make Mason prolific from 2005 after eight seasons with the Tennessee Titans, and now the Ravens are banking on Beckham following in those footsteps.
Beckham Can Replicate Ravens’ Receiving Greats
Mason recorded four 1,000-yard seasons during six years in Baltimore, setting the template for every experienced wideout who followed him by adorning purple and black. Boldin arrived in 2010 and helped the Ravens win a Super Bowl two seasons later. Smith was Boldin’s replacement in 2014 and promptly posted the eighth and final 1,000-yard campaign of his decorated career.
Beckham missed all of 2022 while recovering from tearing his left ACL for the second time in his career. Mason knows it will be a challenge for OBJ to return to his peak: “two ACLs and a receiver, that’s like a quarterback having two shoulder surgeries. He can still throw the football, but it’s going to be hard for him to get back to that peak performance that he used to.”
Beckham’s most recent exploits on the field prove he can at least replicate what Boldin and Smith achieved. OBJ helped the Los Angeles Rams win Super Bowl LVI, catching seven touchdowns, with two in the playoffs, including this score against the Arizona Cardinals.
Beckham’s postseason run culminated with a touchdown grab against the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, but Boldin’s playoff exploits were even more bountiful in 2012. He caught four touchdowns in as many games, including one against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.
Boldin didn’t record a 1,000-yard season with the Ravens, the way Smith did, but Beckham has a great chance to reach and exceed the vaunted tally. He amassed 1,035 yards with the Cleveland Browns in 2019, when Todd Monken served as his offensive coordinator.
Their reunion should position OBJ to emulate what Smith achieved during his first season in Baltimore in 2014. Monken’s presence will help, but Beckham will only make a major impact if Lamar Jackson returns.
The omens are starting to look positive.
Lamar Jackson Return Looking More Likely After OBJ Arrival
Jackson still doesn’t have a new long-term contract, but it’s beginning to look more likely he will at least return to play on the non-exclusive franchise tag this season. That’s the view of NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who believes “there is certainly a connection” between Beckham signing and Jackson staying.
Rapoport’s conclusion “it appears that Lamar Jackson is going to be the Ravens’ quarterback for the 2023 season, throwing passes to Odell” is welcome news for the franchise.
Jackson has his detractors, mostly because of an injury history that’s involved him missing 11 games the last two seasons. Yet when he’s healthy, Jackson is arguably the premier dual-threat playmaker in the NFL.
The Ravens are better whenever Jackson is on the field and Jackson will be a better quarterback with Beckham catching his passes. Just like when Mason, Boldin and Smith made Joe Flacco a better QB1.
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