Following Odell Beckham Jr.’s first full practice with the Miami Dolphins, wide receivers coach Wes Welker heaped praise on the three-time Pro Bowl receiver, who was happy to be back on the field.
“Odell’s looked great,” Welker told reporters after Thursday’s practice. “You know, just in some of the routes on air and different things like that. He looks like the Odell that we’ve seen. We’re getting him out there, getting him moving around, chemistry with all of the guys in the room. And with the quarterbacks. And just continue to work the process.”
Beckham, 31, signed a one-year, $8.25 million deal with the Dolphins in May, but he missed the first four games of the season after he was placed on the physically unable to perform list with a knee injury.
Beckham is eligible to play Sunday against the rival Patriots, but said coach Mike McDaniel will determine if the veteran receiver suits up to face New England in Foxborough, Mass.
“It was very exciting for me, it was very … humbling,” Beckham told reporters about his first practice. “I felt very grateful because I remember what it was like when I felt like I couldn’t walk. I sure couldn’t run, I couldn’t work out. Being back out there, being with these guys who put in so much work, it’s what I’ve been waiting on.
“I didn’t sign here to come walk around this building. I wanted to be part of something special.”
Beckham was signed to be a third receiver and complement Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who lead the Dolphins’ receivers with 17 receptions each. A quartet of receivers are tied for third with one catch apiece.
“We have a lot of receivers and we’ve had a lot of injuries, too, and everything else, but you know when you can add a player of Odell’s caliber, it can open up the offense,” Welker said. “We’ll see how that kind of pans out and kind of go through practice and kind of talk about as a staff and figure out the best-case scenario for our team.”
Beckham appeared in 14 games (six starts) last season and caught 35 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns for the Baltimore Ravens, He added four receptions for 34 yards in the playoffs.
The New York Giants selected him No. 12 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, and he also played for the Cleveland Browns (2019-21), Los Angeles Rams (2021) and Ravens.
Beckham missed the 2022 season as he recovered from a torn ACL suffered in the Rams’ win in Super Bowl LVI.
He has 566 career receptions for 7,932 receiving yards and 59 touchdowns in 110 games (97 starts).
–Field Level Media
