The wide receiver crop continues to dwindle following the 2024 NFL Draft as now veteran receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is off the market.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, the Miami Dolphins are signing the former star receiver, adding another playmaker to Miami’s offense under head coach Mike McDaniel.
According to Rapoport, Beckham’s one-year deal with the Dolphins is worth up to $8.25 million. The veteran receiver reportedly took less from the Dolphins than was offered elsewhere due to the fit into McDaniel’s scheme.
Beckham now joins a receivers room that features Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Braxton Berrios, River Cracraft, and rookies Malik Washington and Tahj Washington.
He is the latest veteran receiver to sign following the draft as former Jaguar and Panther DJ Chark signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers earlier in the week.
Beckham was mentioned by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan as a possible fit for the Steelers, who need a true WR2 opposite George Pickens, even after drafting Michigan’s Roman Wilson. But now Beckham is headed to South Beach and the free agent wide receiver market is getting thinner and thinner for the Steelers.
Beckham spent the 2023 season with the Baltimore Ravens and caught 35 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns. His production fell off late in the year though as he had just three catches in the season’s final four games, sitting out the regular-season finale as well.
In two playoff games, Beckham had just four catches for 34 yards, playing just 54 total snaps. He steps into a great Miami offense under McDaniel with playmakers everywhere for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. But questions about his knee and his declining production as he gets older has Beckham looking more like a complementary piece than a true game-changing threat.
In nine seasons, Beckham has hauled in 566 passes for 7,932 yards and 59 touchdowns. The 12th overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft by the New York Giants has also had stints with the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams and Ravens, winning Super Bowl LVI with the Rams over the Cincinnati Bengals, though he tore his ACL in the first half in that game.
With Beckham off the market, the list of available players who fit the Steelers is getting smaller and smaller. Names like Allen Robinson II, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Michael Thomas, Zay Jones and Tyler Boyd are still on the market, though Boyd is unlikely to sign with the Steelers.
It’s not a great group to be picking from, if the Steelers go the free agency route at the receiver position to fill the hole.
