The Rams could use WR depth, but Odell Beckham Jr. isn't the solution

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

The Rams could use WR depth, but Odell Beckham Jr. isn't the solution

Cameron DaSilva
November 5, 2021 9:06 am PT
Just in the last week, the Los Angeles Rams lost Tutu Atwell to a season-ending shoulder injury and waived DeSean Jackson after the veteran requested to be traded. That left only four wide receivers on the active roster, causing the Rams to sign J.J. Koski from the practice squad to give them five wideouts.

Still, the Rams only have three proven receivers available: Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Van Jefferson. Odell Beckham Jr. has since become available after being waived by the Browns on Friday and like every other team, the Rams will have a chance to put in a waiver claim for him.


The question is, should they? It’s easy to be enamored by his talent and spectacular catches, but the Rams should steer clear and pass on claiming the former Browns and Giants receiver.

Rams already have 3 starting receivers

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

It seems contradictory to say the Rams already have three starting receivers while simultaneously pointing out their need for depth. However, there’s a difference between needing depth and needing a top-three wideout. The Rams could use a backup plan in the event that Woods, Kupp or Jefferson gets hurt. They don’t necessarily need someone who wants to be targeted seven-plus times a game.

Beckham is a dynamic player who can take over a game – when healthy. It’s unfortunate that he’s been banged up in the last several years, missing extended periods of time and even battling through injuries just to get on the field.

If the Rams were to land Beckham, who would come off the field to give him playing time? Surely, you’re not pulling Kupp. And Woods is one of the best blocking receivers in the league, which helps the running game significantly. Jefferson would likely get the hook, but replacing him with Beckham would only stunt his development. He’s just now hitting his stride as a starter and no longer has the threat of Jackson eating into his snaps.

Sean McVay almost never runs four-receiver sets so it would be a challenge to get Beckham playing time without sacrificing snaps for Jefferson or Woods. That doesn’t seem like something that would help the Rams, who are in a groove offensively.

Contract isn't worth taking on

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Browns worked to restructure Beckham’s contract before he was released, but we don’t know the exact terms of his deal now. He had a base salary of $14.5 million, which prorated across 17 games comes out to $852,941 per game. If the Rams claimed Beckham, they would have to pay him for the remaining eight games on their schedule, totaling $6.8 million.

They have about $3.5 million in cap space to work with, according to Over The Cap, so they wouldn’t be able to add Beckham at his current price. Of course, his cost could be lower if the Browns restructured his contract to convert some of his salary into a roster bonus paid up front, but those details aren’t yet clear.

And if Beckham were claimed by the Rams, he’d come with cap hits of $15 million in each of the following two years – though he would have no guaranteed money left on his contract.

Bottom line

Would Beckham make the Rams better? Probably, but it’s not 100% certain. Would he also take snaps away from Woods, Jefferson and possibly Kupp? That’s also possible and not at all worth the risk.

Beckham is injury-prone and hasn’t looked like the player he once was with the Giants. The cons simply outweigh the possible benefits of adding Beckham to the Rams offense, which is already playing at an extremely high level.

They’d be better off letting Jefferson maintain his role as the No. 3 receiver and save their cap space to carry over in 2022 when they need to re-sign Von Miller, Darious Williams, Austin Corbett, Brian Allen and Sebastian Joseph-Day, among others.