Cowboys meet with OBJ, discuss ‘many options’
- Covered NFL since 1997, Cowboys since 2003
- Previously covered Bengals and Dolphins
- Lives in Dallas area with his wife and two children
FRISCO, Texas – As Odell Beckham Jr. closes out his two-day visit with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas there is no timeline on when a decision could come down on adding the free-agent wide receiver to the roster.
“By no means are we at a position to say, ‘close,’ or where we are,” Jones said. “We’re just discussing the many options that are there.”
Beckham underwent a physical on Monday, met with Jones and his family and spent the night with Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs at the Dallas Mavericks game against the Phoenix Suns. Asked at halftime what the Cowboys’ chances of signing him are, Beckham told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon with a big smile, “It’s a good possibility.”
The biggest issue regarding Beckham, who has also visited with the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills, is his health as he returns from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee suffered in Super Bowl LVI. When asked if Beckham has given any indication if he believes if he can play this year, Jones paused briefly.
“I’m going to kind of keep that one at bay because that’s degree,” Jones said. “It’s a lot different if you play one play or if you played or are available for a week and that week be the Super Bowl week then if he’s available the next week. And so everything in between. I would say that’s a point of discussion – a player’s own belief of where he is in becoming ready to play is real big.”
Jones said Beckham playing this season is “paramount,” to a deal, but would not go so far as to say a deal could not happen if the receiver did not play in 2022.
After meeting with Beckham on Monday, Jones said he is “smart as a whip,” has, “an easy demeanor,” and “he’s a good teammate.” One of the additional meetings he will have Tuesday is with the Cowboys’ player leadership council that includes Dak Prescott and 10 other veterans.
According to NFL Players Association figures, the Cowboys have $6.3 million in salary cap room, which would be enough to add Beckham, however, a multi-year deal would further complicate a dicey salary-cap situation in 2023. The Cowboys have 19 players set to become unrestricted free agents, including key figures, like Dalton Schultz, Tony Pollard, Leighton Vander Esch and Donovan Wilson. They can also open up for the first time contract extension talks with CeeDee Lamb and Diggs.
“I just think this is an opportunity that is rare because of his availability. But one way or the other, there’s not a failure here. I’m talking about the actual signing or not signing. There’s not disappointment here,” Jones said. “If this thing works, it will improve this team now. It will improve it this year. If we don’t have that, then we’re in a positive situation as well. It has to improve us now. You know that’s a pretty tall order. And it has to improve us in a way that makes sense for us as we look not only this year but as it impacts the years to come relative to the financial aspect of it.”
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