Odell Beckham Jr.’s free agency is over. The three-time Pro Bowl receiver has signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams, the club announced on Thursday afternoon. 

There was a bit of confusion prior to the Rams’ making the signing official. Beckham was on the fence between signing with either the Rams or the Packers, according to NFL Network’s Kim Jones. But Beckham ultimately chose to sign with the Rams, who like Green Bay are in the running to earn one of the NFC’s top playoff seeds. 

The addition of Beckham has increased the Rams’ win projection from 11.9 to 12 games, according to CBS Sports sport data scientist Stephen Oh. The Rams’ chances at winning their division have risen from 23.3 to 24.4 percent. Los Angeles’ odds at winning Super Bowl LVI has jumped from 11.1 to 11.5 percent. 

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Beckham is joining a Rams team that is going all-in on this season. The Rams, who are currently 7-2 and one game back of the Cardinals for the AFC West division lead, recently traded to acquire future Hall of Fame pass rusher Von Miller. Miller will make his Los Angeles debut on Sunday while joining a defense that includes three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald and All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. 

The Rams’ receiving corps now includes Beckham, Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Van Jefferson and tight end Tyler Higbee. Kupp leads the NFL with 74 receptions for 1,019 yards and 10 touchdowns. Woods, Jefferson and Higbee have caught a combined 107 passes for 1,313 yards and nine touchdowns. Beckham was likely signed in part to replace DeSean Jackson, who signed with the Raiders after he and the Rams mutually agreed to part ways. 

Los Angeles’ offense has been led by Matt Stafford, who has thrown for 2,771 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions through nine games. The Rams’ offense also features running back Darrell Henderson, who has put up solid numbers while replacing injured starter Cam Akers. 

Beckham was free to sign with any NFL team after he cleared waivers after being released by the Browns on Monday. Had a team put in a claim for Beckham, they would have had to pick up his renegotiated contract of $7.25 million. While the Browns must pay Beckham $4.25 million, the team ultimately saved $3 million during the transaction.  

A three-time Pro Bowler, Beckham was granted his release from the Browns after catching just 17 passes for 232 yards in six games this season. In 29 games in Cleveland, Beckham caught 114 of 210 targets for 1,586 yards and seven receiving touchdowns. Beckham averaged nearly 1,100 receiving yards and nine touchdowns per season during his five years with the Giants. His best season was in 2015, when he caught 96 passes for 1,450 yards and 13 touchdowns. 

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Beckham is looking to resurrect his career after battling through injuries over the past several years. He missed a majority of the 2017 season after undergoing ankle surgery. He underwent core muscle surgery following his first season with the Browns in which he caught 74 passes for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns despite being on the team’s injury report throughout the season. Beckham missed the majority of the 2020 season after suffering a torn ACL. His most recent injury was a Grade 3 AC joint shoulder injury sustained during the Browns’ Week 6 loss to the Cardinals. 

With his time in Cleveland behind him, the 29-year-old receiver is surely looking to prove he is still one of the league’s best players. That is certainly the hope of the team that has acquired him just past the halfway point of the 2021 season. 

Fantasy take

If Odell Beckham wasn’t thrilled about not getting the ball from Baker Mayfield, I’m not entirely sure he’s going to be ecstatic about playing alongside Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods. There is room for a third option in this offense to see a significant role, obviously — we’ve seen it before with Brandin Cooks in the past, and Tyler Higbee actually has the fourth-most targets inside the 10-yard line of any player in the NFL this season, too. However, it would require the Rams to change up how they run their offense — they are 16th in plays per game and 15th in pass rate, so they’ll need more volume if all three WR are going to eat. And, if Beckham is going to make an impact for Fantasy, Cooper Kupp probably won’t be able to sustain a 32% target share. It’s not unreasonable to think Beckham could still be a Fantasy starter in L.A., but it’s not a given. If you expect him to be a WR3 the rest of the season, you probably won’t be disappointed, and you just may be pleasantly surprised. But Kupp probably won’t be able to remain the No. 1 WR if that happens. — Chris Towers

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