Breaking Down Beckham's Debut and Road Ahead

The veteran wide receiver had a quiet debut for the Miami Dolphins, but he could become an important player before the end of the 2024 season

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) reacts from the sideline against the Washington Commanders during the fourth quarter of a preseason game at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins offense has been missing a solid third wide receiver for years.

Last Sunday, we got a first look at the player expected to fill that role, Odell Beckham Jr. The veteran made his first appearance after missing all of training camp and the first four weeks of the regular season.

Beckham only ran nine routes and received one target against the Patriots, an interception by Christian Gonzalez. Still, Beckham isn’t feeling the same pressure he’s felt in the past.

“I don’t know. Different expectations, different role, just all of those things,” Beckham told reporters this week. “It just felt different. Maybe where I’m at in life, the things I’ve been through. I’m just able to process and handle it differently.”

It wasn’t reasonable to expect Beckham Jr. to be overly productive in his first game back. He’s a 10-year veteran with an already extensive injury history. However, if Miami wants to get back to the playoffs and, more importantly, succeed there, Beckham Jr. needs to become a factor.

Why Miami Needs a Real WR3

The different role Beckham Jr. talked about was being the offense’s third option behind stars Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. It’s different for Beckham Jr., who came into the league as a star with the New York Giants.

Upon his trade to the Cleveland Browns in 2019, he was easily their best skill player. Although he’ll be listed as a backup for the Dolphins, Beckham’s role will be critical to maximizing the team’s offense.

Hill and Waddle have dominated the team’s targets for the past two seasons. Last season, Hill’s 171 targets ranked third in the league, while Waddle added 104 targets.

The next-closest Dolphins playmaker was tight end Durham Smythe at 43 targets, and the next-closest wide receiver was Cedrick Wilson, who had a measly 38 targets. To say Miami relied heavily on Hill and Waddle is an understatement.

Things aren’t much different this season. Hill leads the team with 39 targets, followed by Waddle’s 28. The next three players are running back De’Von Achane (23), tight end Jonnu Smith (21), and Smythe (7).

The next-closest wide receiver is Robbie Chosen with four targets, and he isn’t even on the team anymore.

The overreliance on Hill and Waddle has gotten Miami’s offense into trouble, especially against good teams. Star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed got the better of Hill in Miami’s playoff loss to the Chiefs last season, and the Dolphins couldn’t move the ball through the air.

When Hill and Waddle miss time or take a break, the passing offense looks out of sync, regardless of the quarterback. Good defenses know that Miami’s offense won’t be as scary if they limit Hill and Waddle.

That’s where Beckham Jr. comes in. He’s the player with enough speed, route-running prowess, and ball skills to make teams think about something besides limiting Hill and Waddle. However, that comes with a catch.

Beckham won’t line up exclusively on the outside like he’s done for most of his career. According to Pro Football Focus, just 20.8 percent of Beckham Jr.’s snaps have come from the slot, which has dropped dramatically since 2019.

Learning all of the receiver spots is a different challenge for Beckham Jr.

“It’s not easy, and especially like I was saying earlier, playing ‘F’ or playing slot is not something that I’ve done in my career since maybe college or high school,” Beckham Jr. said. “So it’s a different role, different verbiage, and language, but I think in time this is just more of a game to get your feet wet, help out however I can, and the ultimate goal was to get a win.”

Beckham Jr. had an opportunity to get his feet wet in the slot against the Patriots. Of his 11 passing down snaps, Beckham Jr. took five from the slot and six out wide. That’s an incredibly small sample size, but it could be an indicator of things to come.

Building Chemistry

One reason Miami hasn’t had a productive third wide receiver is a lack of chemistry with Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins’ entire passing offense is built off the timing between receiver and quarterback — one wrong adjustment usually leads to an ugly miss.

With Tua still on injured reserve due to the concussion he suffered against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, he hasn’t had time to work with Beckham Jr. during the season. Despite their injuries overlapping, Beckham Jr. did tell reporters they’ve had some opportunities to throw together.

Even if the two did get a lot of time to work together during the offseason, adjusting to a new quarterback is never easy. Beckham Jr. even noted that catching passes from a lefty is an adjustment.

"Before I was signing, I was kind of worried about coming to play with a lefty,” Beckham Jr. said. “It was something I always joked about not doing in my career, and it’s definitely different. It’s a different spin; it comes at you a different way at times, but as I’ve thrown with him – and he throws the ball so nice that it doesn’t really feel like you’re catching from a left.”

“So, for me, I have the utmost confidence in my hands. I don’t remember – I mean, I remember dropping one pass last year, so I don’t really feel like a ball is just going to get past my hands. Where my mind’s at, where my body is at, I’ve got way too much confidence in my hands.”

Beckham Jr. is right to have confidence in his hands, as they’ve seemed to get more reliable as he’s aged. PFF charged him with just one drop last season.

Tua can’t come off injured reserve until before the team’s against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8, meaning it’ll be a bit before Beckham Jr. and Tua can get on the practice field to get on the same page.

Besides getting on the same page with Tua, Beckham Jr. has to get back into football shape after missing training camp. Like his role in the offense, it’s a work in progress.

“You could do all the training you want; that’s why you see this happen, and people go through training camp, and you get to that first game, and they run three plays in a row, and they need a break,” Beckham said. “It’s no way to prepare for having emotions to go through, the things you go through being in a real-life game. So yeah, I don’t know how far off I am from full-on game shape.”

The good news for Beckham Jr. is the Dolphins don’t need him to be a significant part of the offense immediately. Assuming Tua does return against the Cardinals, he’s proven he can win regular season games by funneling targets to Hill and Waddle.

The Dolphins need Beckham Jr. for the late-season stretch run and the playoffs. They’ll need him for big moments in big games.

Don’t expect Beckham Jr. to become a major part of the offense right away, but if the Dolphins make a run this season, Beckham Jr. will have an impact.