Opinion: The Bills are just fine without OBJ

After what seems like an eternity thanks to media coverage, Odell Beckham Jr. has concluded his early winter free-agent tour around the country. The majority of those tuned in to the endless news about his whereabouts, and who he’d sign with, thought there’d be clarity on the situation by now.

But here we are, same as it ever was with Beckham. Is the 30-year-old wide receiver an uber-talented player in a league that’s always starving for more? Absolutely. Is he the same player he was with the New York Giants — or even who he was with the Los Angeles Rams last season, when he had 21 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns in four games? It’s doubtful. Both age and injury are two things to consider with regard to Beckham, and that’s before even considering team chemistry.

During Beckham’s visit with the Dallas Cowboys, he didn’t work out for them, and the conversation following the visit had the tone of a team unwilling to pay Beckham a king’s ransom without even providing them a good-faith workout to show his progression from injury.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott stated that there wasn’t a need for a workout, and that they knew what they were getting with Beckham should he sign with the team. But do they really know? I think they do. I believe they understand what Beckham’s after, and it’s not necessarily trust in any process. It’s trust that the team he chooses represents his best chance at a ring, regardless of his contribution towards said goal.

The speculation now is that Beckham would be able to suit up for any team in the playoffs. But at what expense to the team that signs him? Where will he have built any integral on-field chemistry for key moments in do-or-die games? How well could he know the playbook? Would his snaps and looks his way be at the detriment to players who’ve already put time in and proven productive in games?

While it sounds amazing to consider someone like Josh Allen throwing dimes to OBJ, I believe the reality is that his contributions to the Bills’ offense would prove minimal at best.

This is about ring-chasing for OBJ. This was never about team fit, unless that meant which team would give him the best chance to be fit for a new ring.