What is going on in Baltimore? The Baltimore Ravens have just signed WR Odell Beckham Jr. to a 1-year, $18M deal…even though their superstar QB Lamar Jackson is without a contract and has demanded a trade.
It looks like the Ravens have gotten their priorities backwards this offseason.
Not only have they signed an injury-prone, untested (since 2021) wide receiver costing $18M against their cap hit in Odell Beckham Jr., but they’ve also done so prior to resigning Lamar Jackson…the QB that will be throwing passes to OBJ.
Now, I would have liked this move a lot more if the Ravens haven’t just spent the last 2-3 months insulting and upsetting Lamar Jackson to the point he publicly demanded a trade out of Baltimore as the addition of OBJ is exactly the move that could have saved the Ravens 2022 season.
Sure, OBJ wasn’t ready to play last year as he was still rehabbing his now 2X torn ACL, but the Ravens could have saved themselves the massive headache and woes of the last two years if they signed/acquired a receiver of Beckham’s quality. Aside from the ever-reliable Mark Andrews at the TE position, Lamar Jackson has been crying out for some receiving help as the rest of the division, such as the Bengals and Steelers, bulked up and secured numerous division tiles and playoff appearances in spite of Jackson’s heroics.
Truly, if the Ravens had a OBJ-like receiver in the playoffs last year, they might have been able to beat the Bengals and advance to the Divisional Round for the first time 2020. Needless to say, the Ravens should have made this move years ago when the relationship between Jackson and the team was torn down, thrown into a ditch, and then left to rot.
But, seeing as how the relationship appears to be severed, I don’t see what the Ravens were thinking by bringing in Odell Beckham now? Aside from the issues with Jackson and if he will or will not play for the franchise again, this version of Odell Beckham is not even the same that we saw with the Los Angeles Rams, let alone his glory days with the Giants.
I mean, I know Beckham looked really good, quick, dangerous, etc. in the training videos he posted to his socials, but those are extremely edited and altered from what a real game situation would be. Is he really going to be ready to carry most of the Ravens’ offense, regardless of Jackson coming back or not, as there’s really no one else currently on the Ravens that has the explosive potential just in Beckham’s left leg?
I’m not so sure if Jackson doesn’t come back.
Luckily for Ravens fans, it seems like Lamar Jackson was one of the chief architects behind bringing OBJ to Baltimore as the two were all over one another’s social media posts and stories, while the pair was also seen partying in a club in Miami. Does that mean Jackson is going to put all of the bitterness between him and Ravens GM Eric DeCosta behind him and sign his franchise tag? Maybe.
Though, even if Jackson does resign with the Ravens, I know for a fact that the AFC North will be a much more difficult beast to overcome as the Bengals (who reached the AFC Championship game the past two seasons), the Steelers (who grew as a unit under Kenny Pickett’s leadership as the season went on), and the Browns (who will be looking to bounce back with Deshaun Watson) will all be more challenging opponents than they were last season.
And, if there’s still friction between Jackson and the Ravens, I could see this situation breaking down quickly and the Ravens plummeting to the bottom of the standings.
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