NFL
Odell Beckham Jr. Sparks Speculation He Could Join the Buffalo Bills After Instagram Exchange With Von Miller
Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined Sports7 in 2021. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL and soccer landscape, as well as his expertise breaking down sports media, which stems from his many years downloading podcasts before they were even cool and countless hours spent listening to Mike & The Mad Dog and The Dan Patrick Show, among other programs. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie who even played DII lacrosse at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, Tim loves reading about all the latest sports news every day and considers it a dream to write about sports professionally. He's a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York who mistakenly thought, back in the early '90s, that his team would be in the Super Bowl every year. He started following European soccer — with a Manchester City focus — in the early 2000s after spending far too much time playing FIFA. When he's not enjoying a round of golf or coaching youth soccer and flag football, Tim likes reading the work of Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Chuck Klosterman, and Tom Wolfe.
Get to know Tim Crean betterUpdated08 Aug 2022
Last season, the Los Angeles Rams traded for the Denver Broncos' Von Miller and signed Odell Beckham Jr. after the Cleveland Browns cut him. These two moves were crucial steps on the Rams' path to winning the Super Bowl. This offseason, the Buffalo Bills signed Miller to a long-term deal. And now, after a social media exchange between the two players, rumors are swirling that signing OBJ could also be on the Bills' radar.
Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. helped the LA Rams win the Super Bowl
Edge-rusher Von Miller and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. have become two of the biggest NFL superstars over the past decade. The pass-rusher has eight Pro Bowls and three All-Pro nods to his name, and Beckham has three Pro Bowls and an Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
In 2021, both these players became available, and the LA Rams snapped them up. The NFC West franchise traded the Denver Broncos for a second- and third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. A few days later, after OBJ forced his way out of Cleveland, the Rams signed the pass-catcher to a one-year deal.
During the regular season, the pair's production was pedestrian. Beckham caught 27 balls for 305 yards and five touchdowns in eight games, and Miller recorded 5.0 sacks in the same amount of time.
In the playoffs, though, the veteran duo stepped up. Miller recorded 4.0 sacks (including two in the Big Game) and six tackles for a loss. Beckham went off for 21 grabs, 288 yards, and two TDs in the postseason (including two catches for 52 yards and the first touchdown of the Super Bowl before blowing out his knee).
The Rams would likely not have the Lombardi Trophy if not for signing these two stars. Now the question becomes, can Miller and Beckham help the Buffalo Bills break their Super Bowl slump?
The free agent WR sparked speculation he'd be open to signing with the Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills signed pass-rusher Von Miller to a six-year, $120 million contract with $51.4 million guaranteed this offseason. The team hopes the veteran defender can provide leadership, mentorship, and, of course, some sacks this season.
Odell Beckham Jr. is currently a free agent as he recovers from offseason knee surgery. Speculation is that OBJ will most likely return to the LA Rams, but other teams like the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints are also in play.
Beckham may have just added another team to this list, though, after an Instagram interaction between the WR and Miller.
The Bills pass-rusher posted a video of himself at Bills training camp on his Instagram and wrote, “U KNO IM LIT,” followed by several emojis. Underneath, OBJ responded, “U beeeen litttt!!!! @vonmiller what's the locker next to u loook like [eye emojis]!!!??”
Bills Mafia is now going into overdrive speculating about Beckham coming to Buffalo. The Bills already have one of the deepest and most complete rosters in the NFL, and Beckham could give the franchise one of the best and deepest wide receiving corps in the game.
How would OBJ fit with the Bills?
The Buffalo Bills 2022 roster is loaded with talent, as is the WR group.
Stefon Diggs is one of the best wideouts in the league, and third-year NFL player Gabriel Davis seems poised for a breakout year following last season's playoff performance.
Behind those two, though, things are a little more up in the air. Isiah McKenzie, Jamison Crowder, Tavon Austin, and rookie Khalil Shakir are competing for spots three through five on the depth chart.
McKenzie has impressed so far in camp, Crowder is a consummate professional, and Shakir has already shown flashes. However, Odell Beckham Jr. would be quite an upgrade over anyone else on the squad.
It will likely be a while longer until Beckham chooses his next team and even longer after that until he is fully healthy and ready to play. However, as OBJ and Von Miller showed last season, adding veterans like these two solely for a playoff push can pay off huge in the end.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
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