Eagles rumors: Pros and cons of Philadelphia landing Odell Beckham Jr.

Well, you had to know that this was coming. The last time we saw Odell Beckham Jr., he was on his way to possibly winning the Super Bowl MVP Trophy before tearing his ACL and ending that fantasy. Things were relatively quiet until recently. Now, we’ve heard his name associated with the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, and New York Giants. Don’t look now. There are theories that OBJ could be ready to play by the postseason, and the Philadelphia Eagles have emerged as a dark-horse candidate to land his services.

NBC Sports mainstay and Pro Football Talk host Mike Florio believes it’s a possibility. History has taught us that you can never count Eagles G.M. Howie Roseman out when it comes to these matters.

Philadelphia has its hearts set on winning a Super Bowl this season. Ike Reese and Eliot Schorr-Parks, who filled in for Jon Marks on Tuesday and Wednesday, dedicated an entire show to the topic on Hump Day. They even released a poll.

Throw on your G.M. caps for a moment. You’re Howie Roseman. Would you sign OBJ? Let’s dig into this one a little further.

Here are the pros and cons of the Eagles pursuing Odell Beckham Jr.

For those who are interested, the overwhelming theory is that most would rather see him go elsewhere. We can still, however, argue both sides of the discussion. Here are the arguments that support and refute both sides of the conversation.

The positives

For a team that has a legitimate chance at winning the Super Bowl, OBJ increases the Eagles’ chances.

When you mention Odell Beckham Jr. in an Eagles jersey, here’s what can’t be understated. He isn’t coming to Philly to replace A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith or take snaps from them. He’s here for one reason. The Birds want to win two playoff games in January and the Super Bowl in February.

We most certainly know that he has the physical tools to help Philadelphia do that if he can stay healthy.

He immediately becomes the Eagles’ fourth-best receiver upon arrival.

On a 53-man roster, one that currently houses five wideouts, we know who the top three are: A.J., DeVonta, and Quez Watkins, but are we going to act as though OBJ isn’t better than Zach Pascal and Britain Covey? Is OBJ not good enough to be the fifth or sixth wideout on this roster?

The negative perception that sometimes surrounds him, might be erroneous.

Odell loves attention. We know that. He’s also developed a reputation for being a bit of a diva, but he seems to have matured. The Eagles’ locker room is also a strong one. That will help eliminate any issues if there are any, but it doesn’t feel like there would be any.

He’s seemingly been loved by his teammates except for Baker Mayfield, but let’s be honest. Are we certain that some of that doesn’t fall on Baker? His former teammates in Cleveland were upset when OBJ left. That didn’t seem to be the case when the Browns moved on from Baker.

He’s an insurance piece just in case something happens to A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith and a trade piece next season.

Simply put, if Heaven forbid, something happened to A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith, we’d feel much better about plugging OBJ into the lineup than Britain Covey. We’ve all seen what happens when someone like Dallas Goedert gets injured and is forced to miss time.

The negatives

Rumor has it that something went wrong in Dallas.

Something may have gone haywire with Beckham Jr.’s workout for the Cowboys. It appears he isn’t 100% healthy. Then again, we’re talking about someone who just ruptured an ACL less than 12 months ago. Is it fair to assume that he would be?

Rumor has it that OBJ is seeking a two-year deal.

Some would welcome the idea of welcoming OBJ to the nest for a three-game playoff run. Let’s be frank. That’s the only reason we’re having this discussion.

The number of people in support of the idea dwindles however when the conversation shifts to theories that he’s seeking, at minimum, a two-year deal. Think about it. This is a 30-year-old wide receiver attempting to return from a significant injury, one who has had issues with staying healthy.

You can never underestimate the importance of chemistry.

This is the opposing argument to the earlier one stating that OBJ, now older is a more mature version of the man we were first introduced to. There were seemingly no issues in L.A. with the Rams. Again, his teammates love him, but if you’re the Philadelphia Eagles are you interested in taking the chance?

Did we mention the injury history?

If it seems like we’re discussing Bekham Jr.’s injury history a lot, there’s a reason for that. It most certainly can’t be ignored, especially seeing as how he’s a year older than he was the last time we watched him suit up.

He was inactive for the final four games of the Giants’ 2018 campaign as they decided to trade him, but the 2017 and 2020 seasons ended with trips to the injured reserve. His most recent setback, an ACL tear on football’s biggest stage, came on a non-contact play. We’ve discussed the possibility of OBJ being insurance for A.J. and DeVonta, but what happens when and if he goes down?

It’s a lot to think about. We’ll see if any further stories emerge about possible interest from the Eagles’ direction.