Bucs' Bruce Arians on Odell Beckham Jr.: 'We've Already Got AB...Too Many Letters'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians had a unique way to say his team wouldn't be signing Odell Beckham Jr. 

Asked about the veteran receiver on Wednesday, Arians told reporters, "We've already got AB; we don’t need OBJ. Too many letters.”

Beckham became a free agent for the first time in his career on Tuesday after clearing waivers. He was released by the Cleveland Browns on Friday midway through his third season with the organization. 

Beckham struggled over the course of his 29 games in Cleveland dating back to 2019. The three-time Pro Bowler did have more than 1,000 yards in his first year with the team, but his 64.7 yards per game represented the lowest mark of his career at that point. 

After a torn ACL limited Beckham to seven games last year, he had just 232 yards without a touchdown on 17 receptions in six starts in 2021. 

The Bucs are one of the few teams in the NFL that don't need to add another pass-catcher. Chris Godwin and Mike Evans remain one of the best duos in the league. They have combined for 1,204 yards and 12 touchdowns through four games. 

Antonio Brown has missed three games already and could be out on Sunday against the Washington Football Team with an ankle injury, but at some point he will be back in the lineup. The 33-year-old ranks third on the team with 418 receiving yards and is tied for second with four touchdowns. 

Despite playing three games without Brown and four games without tight end Rob Gronkowski, the Bucs still lead the NFL with 32.5 points per game and rank third with 423.1 yards per game. 

Tampa Bay is coming out of its Week 9 bye with a 6-2 record. It leads the NFC South by one game over the New Orleans Saints.