Ravens appear to be firmly out of the Odell Beckham sweepstakes
By Kristen Wong
The Baltimore Ravens probably won’t be making a splash move for Odell Beckham Jr. this season and will need to look elsewhere for wideout help.
Beckham announced his shortlist for his preferred destinations and Baltimore wasn’t included, though that doesn’t come as a huge surprise.
The star free agent reportedly has his eyes on the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers, all teams touted to make the postseason in 2022.
Beckham is expected to make a decision on his future by the end of this month.
The Ravens also pose as serious playoff contenders, but Beckham may be looking for more of a pass-happy offense compared to Baltimore’s run-heavy scheme.
The ex-Rams wideout would have provided an immediate deep-threat option for Lamar Jackson and could have elevated the Ravens’ passing game, but the dream of signing him is rapidly disappearing in the rearview mirror.
Odell Beckham Jr. hopes to sign with a team by the end of the month, per @AdamSchefter
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) November 14, 2022
The Cowboys, Bills, Chiefs, Giants and 49ers are on his shortlist of potential teams pic.twitter.com/ZWybMeDqEf
The Ravens have a very low chance of landing Odell Beckham Jr. this season
Baltimore seems content to stand pat with its current receiving corps despite the unit standing out as the team’s glaring weakness.
After Rashod Bateman’s season-ending injury, the Ravens opted against making a splash trade for a receiver and most recently signed DeSean Jackson to the practice squad.
Jackson suffered a slight hamstring injury in his debut against the New Orleans Saints but still showed his blazing speed and sure hands in only a handful of snaps.
Jackson may already be developing into a reliable downfield option and no doubt is a much cheaper, more low-stakes option than Beckham, yet like Beckham, Jackson’s age and injury history are a tad concerning.
As for the rest of the receivers, Devin Duvernay, James Proche, and Demarcus Robinson will likely feature as the team’s top wideouts for the rest of the year, though that group hasn’t impressed in the first half of the season.
The Ravens may just end up relying on Mark Andrews to sustain the passing offense once Andrews recovers to full health and hope Lamar Jackson’s magic will be enough to carry them into the postseason.
Next. Grading the 2022 Ravens rookie class at the bye week. dark
Signing Beckham may not be in Baltimore’s immediate future, but making a deep run in the playoffs is still just as plausible a reality.