Odell Beckham Jr. is here to contribute on Sunday. Or, at the very least, that’s the hint about the Vikings’ plan with the veteran.
Going into the Week 5 Saints game, Minnesota elevated the veteran off the practice squad. Doing so came despite having him in town for mere days and despite having several other options on the practice squad. What does that tell us moving forward, if anything at all?
The Vikings Have a Plan for OBJ
The possibility existed that Beckham was in town solely to be a mentor. Doing so makes sense given that he’s an accomplished veteran who demands respect from coach and player alike. Bring him aboard to function as a brother to Justin Jefferson and the others.
Or, perhaps, the plan could have involved stashing him for if/when injuries run amok on the receiver room. Seeing a player or two go down for the long haul could have involved leaning on Beckham for game action. After all, he’s likely someone with a predictable floor, a coveted commodity when injuries deplete a position.
But then there’s the evidence the emerged prior to the New Orleans games; the Vikings elevated Beckham from the practice squad, as the social media update clarified: “The #Vikings have elevated WRs Odell Beckham Jr. and Jeshaun Jones to the active roster for tomorrow’s game.”
In the end, the Vikings didn’t dress him for game action. What gives? Why the elevation without playing him?
Well, the Vikings were going into the game with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison questionable. The WR1 ended up being able to play while the WR2 ended up needing the week off. As a result, the move was to dress Jeshaun Jones — a good call given that he made some huge plays — but to keep Beckham on the sidelines due to not needing the extra set of mitts.
What the elevation tells us, though, is that Minnesota has arrived at quick confidence. The veteran has been around the game for a long time. Better yet, he has worked for Kevin O’Connell before with the pair overlapping in LA on that Rams team that won the Super Bowl.
Apparently, Beckham is a quick study, showing enough in his short time with the Vikings to prove ready for game work had there been a need. Boasting a built-in bond with Jefferson likely doesn’t hurt; the pair share a connection due to their LSU days and longstanding friendship, meaning the Vikings’ WR1 can likely be a coach in shoulder pads when the newcomer needs added clarity.
The team’s skipper chatted with the media earlier in the day, noting that he “loved bringing in Odell” before then explaining that the receiver “got off to a fast start last week with us on the practice field.”
Going forward, Odell Beckham Jr. is quite likely to remain on the practice squad. What’s clear, though, is that Minnesota doesn’t think he’s totally cooked. Far from it, he leapfrogged younger players who had been in town for longer, proving that he has quickly earned enough trust to be a fill-in option as a worst case.
Whether OBJ, 33, can eventually demand a spot on the 53 remains to be seen, but the Vikings are doing more than just bringing him in to see if he’s got anything left. Odell Beckham Jr. looks like he’s going to play when the coaching staff needs more help at receiver.