Frankly, I’m surprised this even has to be addressed. Even knowing that inevitably whenever a big-name player is released or on the trade block — someone will float whether the Pittsburgh Steelers should get him — I figured WR Odell Beckham Jr. was an open-and-shut answer. Waived by the Dolphins today, the Steelers could claim him for the cheap. But there’s no reason to add him this late in the season, even with George Pickens’ hamstring injury.
The reasons should be obvious enough. At 32-years-old, Beckham’s best days are far behind him. In nine games with the Miami Dolphins this season, he caught just nine passes on 18 targets. A grand total of 55 yards, three first downs, and zero scores. Miami’s bumpy quarterback situation early in the season could’ve been used as a crutch but Tua Tagovailoa’s been back in the lineup since Week 8. Beckham’s caught all his passes during that span, and his already meager impact has diminished in recent weeks. In his last three games, he has two catches for 10 yards while playing less than one-quarter of the snaps.
Adding Beckham now doesn’t move the needle. At all. Pittsburgh’s wide receiver room is far from great, but roles have been established. Mike Williams can be Pickens’ fill-in for the next few games, the downfield contested catcher. Calvin Austin III has far more juice in his legs than Beckham does and has legitimately made big plays this season. Austin’s YPC nearly triples Beckham’s. Van Jefferson and Ben Skowronek are doing the dirty work in the run game, something Beckham wouldn’t bring to the table.
Beckham’s had a strong career. In his prime, he was an elite receiver. Mike Tomlin has shown him plenty of respect (well, most of the time) but those days are over. Injuries and age have sapped Beckham’s big-play ability and by the time he got up to speed in Pittsburgh’s offense, the Steelers have two short-week games upcoming with limited practice time, Pickens will have returned.
That’s all that has to be said. If his name wasn’t “Odell Beckham Jr.,” and some other receiver with the same resume was available, this wouldn’t be a discussion. Pass on Beckham. Focus on the group the Steelers have. Their M.O. for most of the year is dance with the ones they brought and there’s no reason to add another partner now.
