As Ravens practice ended and Odell Beckham Jr. headed towards the locker room, the chants started.
"O-dell! O-dell! O-dell!"
When he ran onto the field for the first practice, a young girl shrieked, "It's OBJ!!!!" We're only two days into Ravens training camp, and Beckham has already taken countless selfies with screaming kids after practice.
There's a new superstar at Ravens training camp, and the excitement is palpable. Beckham was out of football completely last year. Because of two major knee injuries, he hasn't posted a 1,000-yard season since 2019.
But he's still Odell Beckham Jr. Physically, he's feeling and looking strong. And mentally, Beckham is in a good place, thanks in part to the early boost he's gotten from Baltimore.
"Never gets old," Beckham said of the fanfare. "Man, you know first day, yesterday, coming out, I just wanted to be grateful for that moment. It was a long time in rehab."
Beckham signed for just one year in Baltimore. He recently said that his mindset is that it could be his last. That isn't stopping him from giving the city a full embrace.
Just a few days before Ravens training camp opened, Beckham hosted a camp with more than 600 kids at The Gilman School in Baltimore. Asked about the Ravens' culture, Beckham said "it's the real deal."
"I'll be honest I can feel the love of the city," Beckham said before trying out his Baltimore accent. "[I'm] just embracing every single bit of what we have going here."
While the superstar vibes emanate from the purple-haired Beckham, his intention to help get Baltimore back to the Super Bowl for the first time in 11 years is evident.
He put in the work to get his body right, which he showed off with a flex to reporters. He's working with rookie Zay Flowers and the team's younger receivers, trying to sharpen their skills. Flowers said he's trying to learn from Beckham's routine, which veteran cornerback Marlon Humphrey also took note of.
"I was actually kind of watching his pre-practice routine; it was pretty long," Humphrey said. "He's got a pretty good system, he does. I'm really excited for 'The OBJ Era.'"
Flowers said his biggest takeaway so far from working with the vet is "working hard every day, going for what you want."
"Because, you know, he did it as a young player too with a 1,000-yard season, 1,000-yard season," Flowers said. "I'm just trying to learn what he did, take a routine from him and trying to use it towards my way and do it my way."
Beckham made one of the most spectacular catches of training camp over the first couple days. Matched up against veteran cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, Beckham sped down the right sideline before juking as if a back-shoulder throw was coming. That crafty move made Ya-Sin elevate too early and Beckham re-accelerated to catch the ball behind him for a long gain.
Paired with Flowers, Rashod Bateman (once his foot is healthy), tight end Mark Andrews and other weapons in the Ravens passing game, Baltimore's offense has a chance to explode this season. The preseason hype is as loud as the fans chanting Beckham's name.
"I can feel excitement about the opportunity we have in front of us. I take it serious. I take it very serious," Beckham said. "I got to learn how to hit The Strut and all that and just have fun with it, embrace the opportunity and win some games."
