Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel are the unquestioned starters at wide receiver for the 49ers. Behind them, however, things are a lot less certain. On today’s Oh, Hey There! podcast, Leo Luna and Jason Aponte debated whether the 49ers should consider signing free agent Odell Beckham Jr., who is recovering from ACL surgery.
While Aiyuk and Deebo are a fantastic combination, the Niners’ receivers below them on the depth chart are far from proven commodities. Jauan Jennings came on nicely at the end of the year last season, but he still only caught 24 total passes and has had his issues so far in training camp. The team has expressed confidence that Ray-Ray McCloud can contribute on offense, but he’s been in the league for four years and never had as many yards in a season as Jennings did as a rookie. Danny Gray has incredible speed, but he’s still adjusting to the NFL.
At one point a few years ago, Beckham was interested in the 49ers. So would a soon-to-be 30-year-old OBJ still be a good idea? Leo Luna thinks so.
“What if Deebo Samuel misses a game? He missed one last year; who says he doesn’t miss one this year? What if Brandon Aiyuk misses a game? COVID is still a real thing; what if he tests positive on game day? Now you’re going to be out there with Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, and Ray-Ray McCloud? To me, Deebo Samuel, Odell Beckham, and Jauan Jennings sounds a lot sexier. Give me that...He went over 100 yards against the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. He was on pace to have well over 100 yards in the Super Bowl. This guy is meant for the spotlight, he’s meant for the big game, he’s not going to crumble, and you need that on your team.”
Jason Aponte acknowledged the unproven players at receiver after the top two but didn’t think Beckham is the answer.
“If Odell was out there, ready to go in Week 1, I think that you already made this move. But you don’t know how long he’s gonna be out. You don’t know what kind of shape he’s going to be in. You don’t know how long it’s going to take him to get up to speed with everything.”
Even if the 49ers had interest in Beckham, they’d be far from the only team in that department. The Rams have made no secret of the fact that they’d welcome him back. Buffalo’s Von Miller has actively been recruiting his former teammate on Instagram (which Beckham seemed to like). Not to mention other Super Bowl contenders like the Chiefs and the Packers, who surely would welcome a mid-to-late season addition like OBJ.
What do you think - should John Lynch go down that road? Listen to the entire episode to hear the complete debate, and let us know what you think in the comments.
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