Odell Beckham Jr. didn't play in the 2022 season, but the last time he was on the field, the product looked mighty impressive.
Beckham caught two passes for 52 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown, in the Rams' Super Bowl LVI victory. He may have been Super Bowl MVP had he not suffered a torn ACL.
So what will Beckham bring to Baltimore? Here's a look at what he was doing for the Rams last time he was on the field:
Beckham's 17-yard touchdown came against strong Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton. Beckham high-pointed the pass for a leaping grab.
Beckham's red-zone ability to elevate and make tough grabs with his strong hands should improve Baltimore's red-zone efficiency, which was a sore spot last season. Beckham scored seven touchdowns in 12 games with the Rams, including the playoffs.
Beckham made a living dusting cornerbacks early in his career with his speed and run-after-catch ability. The Ravens know this well.
In a 2016 showdown at MetLife Stadium, with the Ravens extremely short-handed at cornerback, Beckham roasted them with eight catches for 222 yards and two touchdowns – a 75-yarder on a double move and a game-winning 66-yard slant. He reached 21.03 mph and 20.74 mph on each touchdown, respectively. They are still the third- and fifth-fastest speeds he's reached in his entire career, per Next Gen Stats.
Beckham hasn't reached those speeds as often in recent years, but he's still a threat to go deep, especially when using his veteran savvy to cause hesitation from the defensive back.
Mostly, what Beckham excelled with in Los Angeles iscrafty route-running, great footwork, and strong hands. He did a lot of the dirty work making tough catches in traffic and moving the chains, then often finished off drives in the end zone.
Again, the Ravens saw this first-hand. Baltimore had a chance for an upset late in the 2021 season with Tyler Huntley under center and the Rams on the ropes at M&T Bank Stadium. Facing a fourth-and-5 with one minute, eight seconds left in the game, Matt Stafford went through his reads and trusted Beckham to make a tough catch at the first-down line with Tavon Young draped all over him. Beckham held on, then scored the game-winning touchdown on the next play.
At 30 years old and following a pair of ACL tears, Beckham has continued to sharpen his game and should be a versatile weapon in the Ravens offense that they can use on the outside or in the slot. While Beckham lined up outside on nearly 80% of his snaps with the Rams, he was more effective in the slot.
Beckham's last 1,000-yard season was in Cleveland in 2019, playing for now Ravens Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken. That year, Beckham lined up wide on 77% of the snaps versus 23% in the slot, per Next Gen Stats. He ran in-breaking routes 37.9% of the time compared to 15.8% out-breaking routes.
Of course, Beckham has a reputation for making eye-popping one-handed catches. But he showcases a toughness that doesn't always get as much appreciation, but will be greatly valued in Baltimore.
