Heaps: Adding Odell Beckham Jr. would make Seahawks a playoff team
Nov 8, 2021, 12:42 PM | Updated: 5:22 pm
Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. warms up before a game against the Minnesota Vikings. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
(Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The Seahawks will have star quarterback Russell Wilson back in Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers, and starting running back Chris Carson may be back in the mix as well. But could Seattle have yet another reinforcement on offense this weekend?
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson cleared to return from injury vs Packers
Odell Beckham Jr., a former first-round pick, three-time Pro Bowler and five-time 1,000-yard wide receiver, is expected to be released from the Cleveland Browns on Monday and hit waivers Tuesday after a roller-coaster three-year run with the team.
According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, Beckham wants to hit free agency instead of being claimed, and while the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints and Seahawks are all teams to watch, Florio said that the 29-year-old receiver prefers to land in Seattle.
While Beckham reportedly doesn’t want to be claimed, the Seahawks are 10th in waiver priority and are one of just a few teams that could claim Beckham and pay his current contract, which has $7-plus million remaining for the rest of 2021 before he hits free agency this offseason. If Beckham goes unclaimed, the Seahawks, like the other 31 teams in the NFL, would then be able to negotiate a contract with Beckham for any salary and length of time. If Beckham clears waivers Tuesday afternoon, he’s a free agent and can sign right away.
The Seahawks already have one of the best wide receiver tandems in the NFL in Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf and used a second-round pick on receiver Dee Eskridge, who could return from a concussion this Sunday, but former NFL quarterback Jake Heaps thinks that adding Beckham for Seattle’s final nine regular season games would make the 3-5 Seahawks a playoff team come the end of Week 18.
While Seattle may have more pressing needs elsewhere, Heaps said the best way to get better now would be picking up Beckham.
“Yeah, would I love to see (them add) a pass rusher or a corner, or would I love to see offensive line help? There’s other areas that you could point to and say, ‘Yeah, this would be great if we could add to,'” Heaps said Monday morning during 710 ESPN Seattle’s Jake and Stacy. “But guess what? That’s not reality.”
Heaps said that the Seahawks won’t be able to add to those other positions of need at this stage in the season.
“There’s no free agent, there’s no one that’s gonna get cut off the waiver wire,” he said. “There’s no trade that’s going to happen. The trade deadline is already gone.”
The chance to add Beckham to the wide receiver room, though, is a clear way for the Seahawks to improve the roster, Heaps said.
“Right now you have cap space, you have the ability to make this move and this is an opportunity to upgrade your roster offensively,” he said. “And guess what? You don’t have a clear third receiving target. That’s why I view this as an opportunity to upgrade, to add, and you get another person that can help be a dynamic playmaker, can be somebody that is a weapon on third down for you, which is an area you have struggled outside of Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. I don’t care if it comes in the form of a receiver or a tight end, but give me a third option there that can make a difference, and I believe OBJ absolutely can do that over the last nine games.”
That @Browns vs. Cowboys classic from Week 4?@obj took over. pic.twitter.com/httdQc8qvr
— NFL (@NFL) June 7, 2021
Not only does Heaps think Beckham could help the Seahawks get into the postseason, but he thinks Beckham catching the ball from Wilson alongside Metcalf and Lockett could help Seattle make some noise in the playoffs, as well.
“Odell Beckham Jr. can absolutely help this team get in the playoffs and add talent to this offense to where when they get in the playoffs, maybe they have the ability to do some damage when they get to the dance,” he said.
Some Seahawks fans on social media have voiced that they don’t want Seattle to add Beckham because he could be a potential problem in the locker room, but Heaps doesn’t buy it.
“I see this as a no-brainer decision,” he said. “He’s not going to ruin your team in nine games. I just you’re giving the player way too much credit.”
Listen to the full discussion between Heaps and co-host Stacy Rost in the podcast at this link or in the player below.
Despite Seahawks sitting at 3-5, playoffs are very much still in play
