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With the recent divorce between the Cleveland Browns and the dynamic wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., fans of the NFL are prone to speculate his future landing spot.
Keep in mind, that this isn’t a prediction that would actually happen. The Jags this season have only one victory on American soil. And while I mean no offense to wide receivers Marvin Jones Jr. or D.J. Chark, there are plenty of ways that the presence of Beckham could enhance the Jaguars as an offensive force . . . among other things.
By the way, the aforementioned win that happened in the United States may have been against a well-regarded Buffalo Bills squad but it was also an affair where they won 9-6.
With Lawrence coming in as a first overall pick this year in the draft, another weapon to catch the ball downfield certainly marks an improvement on paper. After all, when Beckham starts at least 11 games, he is typically good for a 1,000-plus yard season.
Skeptics of this concept will certainly cite health issues throughout Beckham’s career as a risk. Yet still, this is the kind of move that could bring a buzz in Duval that potentially leads to interest that could translate to other free-agent acquisitions in the future.
Is that to say it would be like Tom Brady coming to the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers? No, but it would be a spark that makes Jacksonville more attractive from a football standpoint.
It’s also fair to ask questions connected to Beckham as a locker room distraction. There are Instagram antics in his past along with a so-called current feud with his former quarterback Baker Mayfield. However, when it comes to that situation, one must also acknowledge Mayfield as an aggressive personality in his own right.
Lawrence (even as a rookie), on the other hand, has proven that he is relatively more even-keeled despite the scrutiny and negativity that comes with being the franchise player of a struggling NFL team. Now as for how credible Urban Meyer is as someone who could coach him, that’s another question that’s much harder to answer.
The next question becomes expense. As it turns out, the Jags are among the few NFL teams that could afford to snag Beckham this year and according to reports, Jacksonville is currently the NFL team with the most cap space.
Should they be aggressive and make the phone call now for a “test run” with “OBJ”? The argument can be made that it’s a win-win. The new receiving threat comes into town for a test run to see if he is a fit and he also gets paid as a rental.
Since Chark is in the final year of his contract, could courting Beckham motivate him to leave for another franchise in 2022? Or maybe the Jags sign them both to long-term deals with some of that available space that’s there and secure a receiver corps of Beckham, Chark, and Jones Jr.
Bringing in Julio Jones worked out for the Tennessee Titans, and even with their star running back Derrick Henry injured, Ryan Tannehill seems to be thriving nonetheless so far.
While it’s all but impossible to occur this year, it certainly seemed like an interesting possibility. Don’t rule out Jacksonville bringing Beckham in 2022 if somehow he sees potential, or a chance to get Florida sunshine without the publicity of South Beach.