It has now been 16 months since we have seen Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. play meaningful football in the NFL, and we won't see him play meaningful snaps in the purple and black until September, making it 19 months.
But, what's happening right now with Beckham, and his recovery from the ACL tear he suffered in the Super Bowl back in February, is nothing short of a positive development.
The Ravens have taken the field for mandatory minicamp this week, and Beckham has been on the field participating. Head coach John Harbaugh called Beckham a "full go" for practice, which is one of the most encouraging things we've heard from Harbaugh all offseason.
When Baltimore signed Beckham, no one knew if he would be completely ready by this time. Some thought he would be, but there wasn't any real way to know for sure until we saw him on the field. Following his first practice, Beckham told the media that he's feeling good.
Baltimore Ravens wideout Odell Beckham Jr. sounds like he will be back to his old self in no time
"I feel good. It feels good to get out of bed and not feel pain," Beckham told the media. "I feel like if I needed to take off running right now, I could take off running."
It sounded like Beckham is going to ramp up a bit and take his time during the early stages of offseason practices, which isn't a bad idea. There is no sense in having him go all-out right now, but instead allowing him to learn and participate at his own speed.
"The most important thing is getting ready for the season in September, that's when we play. I don't have a set play amount, a number that's in my head. You come here, you get your reps, you talk," Beckham said.
Beckham practicing is especially positive because the Ravens are going to be without Rashod Bateman for minicamp due to injury. The wide receiver position hasn't been soldified for years in Baltimore, whether it be due to lack of talent or plain, old injuries. So, to have Beckham out there along with guys like Zay Flowers and Nelson Agholor is a huge lift for this team.