Why is Odell Beckham Jr. signing with Dolphins? Explaining WR fit with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle
Odell Beckham Jr. has his chance to play for a fifth NFL team. The 31-year-old free agent finally found a home late in the 2024 offseason, reportedly signing a one-year deal with the Dolphins worth up $8.5 million.
Beckham goes to Miami after playing one season in Baltimore. He signed with the Ravens last April. It took an extra month this time around for Beckham to find a new team. It’s been 10 years since Beckham was a first-round pick of the Giants. He played three seasons with the Browns and one with the Rams, winning a Super Bowl with Los Angeles.
What can Beckham bring to Miami’s passing game in a Mike McDaniel offense that’s made the playoffs the past two season? Here’s explaining why Beckham joined Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in Miami:
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How Odell Beckham fits with Dolphins WR corps
The Dolphins have only 54 key vacated targets from last season, based on moving on from wide receiver Cedric Wilson Jr. (38) and fullback Alec Ingole (16).
Braxton Berrios and River Cracraft remain on the wideout depth chart. They also added veteran tight end Jonnu Smith and added rookies Malik Washington (sixth round) and Tahj Washington (seventh round) in the draft. Smith will give them more of a receiving presence at his position vs. the holdover at tight end, Durham Smythe.
Hill and Waddle dominated targets last season, with 275 of the team’s 549 targets, just short of 50 percent. They racked up 191 catches, 2,813 yards and 17 TDs. But Wilson underwhelmed as the third receiver for two seasons and didn’t provide any extra downfield element to the ultra-speedy Hill and super-quick Waddle.
It’s notable McDaniel didn’t follow the league-wide trend of using 11 personnel (three wide receivers on the field at the same time) last season. The Dolphins featured that formation less than half the time. That explains adding a key second tight end in Smith to join the more blocking-based Smythe.
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As for Beckham, he averaged a robust 16.1 yards per catch for the Ravens as they transitioned to more of a downfield passing game with Lamar Jackson last season. Beckham caught only 35 of 64 targets, but he turned that into 565 yards and 3 TDs. That, along with the presence of dynamic rookie Zay Flowers, helped Jackson average 8.0 yards per attempt.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has thrown at 8.9 yards per attempt (first in the league in 2022) and 8.3 yards per attempt the last two seasons. A lot of that is tied to the big-play abilities of Hill and Waddle, mostly after the catch.
The Dolphins needed another field-stretcher for when they use 11 with Tagovailoa, which could explain why Beckham was brought in. Berrios and Cracraft are diminutive slot types and both Washingtons are rookies, and it’s unclear whether any of those players could fill a deep-threat role. Still, with Smith on the offense, Beckham projects as a situational deep threat whom the Dolphins hope will give them more pop in high-scoring games vs. other potent passing offenses.