Miami Dolphins 2024 Free Agency Scouting Report: WR Odell Beckham Jr.

The Miami Dolphins have agreed to terms on a 1-year contract with veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. What does the film show he brings to the Dolphins offense at this stage of his career?

The Miami Dolphins have a new wide receiver among their ranks. Just a week after adding two Day 3 wide receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft, Miami came out with a totally different kind of addition this week — veteran Odell Beckham Jr. agreed to terms on a 1-year contract worth a base value of $3 million. Incentives could drive his compensation up to $8.25 million for 2024, although those terms and conditions are to be determined. But after several weeks of courtship, Miami landed an ancillary weapon in the passing game to help further round out their wide receiver room.

But what should Dolphins fans expect? What does Odell still have left in the tank? How good of a scheme fit is he for Mike McDaniel’s offense?

Let’s take a look at the primary qualities of the Dolphins’ offensive attack to date under Mike McDaniel and how Beckham Jr. stacks up versus the players he’ll be competing against for snaps in 2024.

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Non-Negotiable Skills

Route Running - The Dolphins' offense asks quite a bit of their wide receivers. This isn’t the Chan Gailey school of offense — where receivers are given free rein over the details so long as they get where they’re supposed to be. This is a precision-based unit. The steps, sharpness of the breaks, timing, and adjustments based on coverage…it all matters. As such, route running appears to be one of the core pillars of wide receiver play for Mike McDaniel.

Ranking amid Dolphins’ 2024 veteran WRs in ‘Route Running’ trait:

1. Tyreek Hill

2. Jaylen Waddle

3. Odell Beckham Jr.

4. River Cracraft

5. Braxton Berrios

6. Erik Ezukanma

Hill’s misclassification as a speed-only player is incredibly disrespectful and ignorant to his game — Hill can run any route in the tree and because of his explosiveness, he can reach and create blind spots that others can’t. Waddle isn’t too far off the pace; his ability to attack leverage and win through it is probably his best quality.

Odell Beckham Jr. would rank third at this stage in his career for me. His experience pops with how he runs his routes, and there’s a vertical element that Beckham Jr. can play off of that I don’t think the receivers who rank below him can.

Hands - The simple answer to this quality is how consistently do you catch the football and how large is your catch radius to haul in throws away from your body? This has been one of the only points of frustration any well-grounded Dolphins fan could have with their superstar duo of Waddle and Hill — throws away from their frame have, at times, resulted in missed opportunities.

Ranking amid Dolphins’ 2024 veteran WRs in ‘Hands’ trait: