WATCH: Rams head coach Sean McVay delivers message to Odell Beckham Jr. at start of training camp
The Los Angeles Rams are still resting atop the football world as the defending champions of the 2022 Super Bowl. Their head coach, Sean McVay, is trying to make sure he gets back one of the stars that helped lead the franchise on that run, Odell Beckham, Jr.
Check out the message he had for OBJ when NFL Network was visiting Rams’ training camp on Saturday evening.
“Guys that we were able to add. You lose big-time guys like an Andrew Whitworth. You lose a Von Miller. You know, hopefully, we’ll get Odell back at some point. If you’re out there Odell, I know you heard that. Okay,” McVay said in his interview with NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano.
It’s no surprise that McVay and the Rams want their star receiver back. He was repeatedly getting open in the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl last year. Before he went down with an ACL injury in the first half, Beckham hauled in two catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. If he hadn’t gotten hurt, there’s no question the Rams likely would have won the Super Bowl by a more substantial margin. The Bengals’ secondary simply had no answer for him.
In the 2022 NFC Championship, Beckham once again flashed his superstar form, hauling in nine passes for 113 yards in the Rams’ 20-17 comeback victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
McVay and the Rams will have fierce competition for Beckham’s services, as former Buffalo Bills legend Andre Reed recently hinted at the former LSU star signing with the Bills. Many teams are looking for that final piece to complete their Super Bowl puzzle and they think OBJ can be that guy yet again, once he recovers and gets in shape.
Beckham spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons in Cleveland but had a falling out with the team and played only six games in 2021. He went on to play in eight games last season with the Rams, totaling 27 catches for 305 yards and five touchdowns.
Through his first six NFL seasons, Beckham surpassed the 1,000-yard mark five times and made three appearances in the Pro Bowl. However, he hasn’t even reached 1,000 yards in the past two seasons combined as injuries have played a part in both years. Given his past success though, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another team take a shot on him in 2022, especially if it were for another brief stint in the playoffs.
When that might be, however, depends on how quickly he is able to recover from the ACL injury and get back into game shape. For now, the former LSU star still remains a free agent.
On3’s Chandler Vessels also contributed to this article.