For weeks Jerry Jones has made it sound as if he and the Cowboys were all in on signing free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. On Tuesday, during his weekly radio appearance on 105.3 “The Fan,” Jones didn’t sound too confident that the franchise would be adding OBJ. In fact, Jones sounded like the possibility has waned considerably.
“I’m not confident at all. And, so, that’s the issue. Now, we all realize the issue of health, that issue of availability is here every time. Just this one is very obvious and very pointed toward his injury that occurred last year in the Super Bowl. We got a good bead on that. We got a great read on his career.”
OBJ Tore His ACL In Super Bowl
Beckham who tore his ACL for a second time in last year’s Super Bowl has been on a free agent tour. He’s had visits with the Giants and Cowboys, but hasn’t done any on-field work, further complicating and questioning his health and availability.
Jerry Jones wants OBJ in Dallas 👀 pic.twitter.com/Sk8AlW1fZ5
— ESPN (@espn) December 5, 2022
Cowboys Have Real Concerns About OBJ’s Health
Beckham is hoping to land with a contender, that’s why he’s visited places like the Bills, Chiefs, Giants and Cowboys. But his overall health is a concern, and his lack of on-field work is alarming.
ESPN’s Ed Werder who covers the Cowboys daily, spoke about the team’s brass concerns ahead of possibly adding OBJ.
“OBJ has not progressed enough to ensure he would play before mid-January and the possibility exists signing him would have no benefit until the 2023 season.”
The Cowboys have concerns about Odell Beckham's recovery from a torn ACL after his physical with the team, per @WerderEdESPN
Dallas fears OBJ has not made the necessary progress to ensure he will be able to play before mid-January pic.twitter.com/LFXEhr5xsL
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) December 6, 2022
Adding Beckham wouldn’t be hard at all if the Cowboys knew he were healthy. His résumé speaks for itself, but the uncertainty surrounding his true condition seems to be a sticking point when you hear how Jerry Jones’ enthusiasm has changed.
“It’s not like a draft pick coming at you,” Jones added. “You got a lot of history here and you can take a good look at, not only the obvious, and that’s his performance, but also any issues regarding health. So, all of this we got to come in with our eyes wide open and it has to be addressed, and that’s when you can see if you can make a deal or not.”
After weeks of pandering and posturing, Jones doesn’t seem too gung-ho on signing Beckham, whose price tag is probably too high to begin with.
Per source, there was a sticking point between the Cowboys and Odell Beckham over whether he would be able to play, and get paid, this season, and the "length" of the agreement.
Beckham wants deal through 2023. Cowboys are focused primarily on this year https://t.co/3YPiVf2qms— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) December 7, 2022
Cowboys Players Sit Courtside With OBJ After Visit
Following Beckham’s visit with the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, star defenders Trevon Diggs and Micah Parsons sat courtside at a Mavericks game with him. The fans in Dallas know what’s going on, and they didn’t miss an opportunity to chant “OBJ” and let him know how much they want him to sign.
"OBJ" chants in Dallas 👀 pic.twitter.com/T8uyzaJHFM
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 6, 2022
Nice gesture, but unless his knee proves to be healed, it doesn’t seem plausible that he’ll be signed by the Cowboys or any other team for this season.
