Rob Issa, FISM News
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Odell Beckham Jr. is expected to choose his next team after Thanksgiving and the Dallas Cowboys are hoping that they will be able to land the talented receiver and enhance their chances of securing a playoff bid.
Beckham, who tore an anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during the Super Bowl in February, plans to visit the Cowboys and the New York Giants, according to reports, making the Turkey Day matchup between the two teams even more intriguing. Dallas owner Jerry Jones confirmed the report, saying: “Certainly it’s time for us to sit down and visit.”
The Cowboys are seen by analysts as favorites to land Beckham Jr. and the team has made a strong push to entice him to come to Dallas.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is hopeful to add Beckham to a wide receiver group led by Ceedee Lamb. He told reporters he has exchanged messages with Beckham.
“He knows how much I want him here, and a lot of these guys in this locker room I’ve seen have reached out on their own in different ways to making sure that he understands that this is a team that he can help,” Prescott said. “And we want him to come help.”
Beckham began his career with the Giants in 2014 and earned The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year Award that season. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons before injury cut his 2017 season short. Beckham played 2 1/2 seasons with the Cleveland Browns and joined the Los Angeles Rams during the 2021 season, helping them reach the Super Bowl. He caught a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford that gave the Rams a 7-0 lead before he was injured later in the game. Los Angeles went on to beat Cincinnati 23-20 to secure the Lombardi Trophy.
Beckham became a free agent after the season and hasn’t signed with a team because he’s still rehabbing his knee. The Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and San Francisco 49ers are also thought to be interested in signing Beckham.
Beckham, who turned 30 on Nov. 5, would be an excellent fit for the Giants, who lost rookie receiver Wan’Dale Robinson to a season-ending knee injury last week.
If the Giants beat Dallas on Thanksgiving, it could give them an edge to secure Beckham’s services. However, Beckham may pick the team with the better quarterback, and Prescott gives the Cowboys the edge over the Giants in that category.
“Right now I guess it’s who can recruit better,” Prescott said. “And, yeah, I don’t know necessarily about what he’s looking for when it comes to the numbers and long term and all that, but I know that we want him here and hope it all works out.”
Beckham has been involved in controversy throughout his NFL career but in 2018 he shared that he found a “fresh start” through baptism in Jerusalem in the Jordan River. Beckham shared pictures of his baptism in the Holy Land on his Instagram and wrote: “#ImForgiven” and “Fresh start … what a time! God, I can’t thank u enough for this one. My journey is just beginning.”
The 30-year-old Beckham has 531 career catches for 7,367 yards and 56 touchdowns.
Thanksgiving lineup
The Giants-Cowboys matchup is the second of three NFL games on Thanksgiving Day, kicking off at 4:30 pm ET on Fox.
The Buffalo Bills visit the Detroit Lions in the first game which will be played at 12:30 pm ET on CBS. The Bills played in the same stadium on Sunday after a snow blizzard forced them out of western New York. They beat the Cleveland Browns to improve to 7-3 and returned home only to have to come back to Michigan. The Lions are 4-6 after winning three in a row.
The prime-time matchup features the Minnesota Vikings at home against the New England Patriots. The Vikings are 8-2 after getting dismantled by the Cowboys at home 40-3. The Patriots have won three in a row to reach 6-4.
“Minnesota’s a very well-coached team in all three phases,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “They have a lot of explosive players, really good in all three phases of the game. So, it’ll be a big test for us out there. You know offensively they have a great back (Dalvin Cook), great receiver (Justin Jefferson), great quarterback (Kirk Cousins). They’ve got a lot of firepower there on offense, and defensively they’re good at all three levels.”
The Vikings -Patriots game will air on NBC with coverage beginning at 8:00 pm ET.