Four months after joining the Miami Dolphins, Odell Beckham Jr. finally participated in practice this week.
Beckham was sidelined all offseason with a knee injury and opened the year on the physically unable to perform list. The wideout said Thursday that the delay was due to a combo of knee surgery and a desire to spend more time with his family.
“There was a lot going on in my life, personal life, businesses, all of that, that just kind of had me in a place where football wasn’t exactly the priority,” Beckham said Thursday. “I have a son, he’s two years old and I didn’t get much time to spend with him. I feel like he’s growing up fast and I’m not having that much time, so football exactly wasn’t the first and foremost thing on my mind.”
Beckham noted he had a “small cleanup” on his knee during the offseason, adding he probably waited longer than he could have to undergo the procedure. The 31-year-old said he originally planned to wait into the regular season to sign with a club but changed plans after talking to Miami coach Mike McDaniel.
Beckham called going on the PUP list a “selfless act” because a chunk of his $8.25 million contract is based on incentives.
“I hate the feeling of walking around this building, and you’re hurt, and PUP list means I can’t practice with the team. So I can’t practice with the team, be on the field,” Beckham said. “So it’s just something that I kind of had to follow, not what I wanted to do.
“But for me, it was a selfless act because if I’m not on the PUP list, I’m taking up a roster spot, which means I’m taking someone else’s job and I’m not doing anything. It’s not really a good feeling to have, so it was what was best for this team and organization.”
Neither Beckham nor McDaniel have said whether the wideout will make his debut Sunday against New England, but opening the 21-day window to practice is the first step in getting back on the field.
The Dolphins offense has struggled through four games, even before Tua Tagovailoa was injured. Miami has scored more than 12 points just once, with a season-high 20 points coming in Week 1.
Returning to a 1-3 club that could see its season spiraling doesn’t add pressure for Beckham.
“I think at this point in my life, pressure is why I got into this game. It was never for the attention,” Beckham said. “There’s something about knowing that it’s time to perform and then showing up and performing, truly. … We got to get going. We got to start making plays. Defense has been playing great. Offense, it’s our time. Like we got to take over. There’s a reason I came to this offense. It’s because I’ve seen what they did all last year.
“It’s no time to panic, but it’s definitely time to have a sense of urgency.”
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