Odell Beckham Jr. a 'Heck of a Talent,' Bills Will 'Look into' Signing, per GM Beane

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said the team will consider signing free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. when he's ready to return from a torn ACL suffered in last season's Super Bowl.

"OBJ's a heck of a talent," Beane told reporters Wednesday. " ... And you know me, if we think he can help this team, we'd be crazy not to at least look into it."

The Bills, who sit atop the AFC standings with a 6-1 record, already made one marquee midseason addition to their offense with a deal for Indianapolis Colts running back Nyheim Hines ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.

Bills linebacker Von Miller, who played alongside Beckham on the Rams' championship squad last season, has consistently stated he expects the three-time Pro Bowl selection to land in Buffalo. That includes comments on the Richard Sherman Podcast in October (via Ryan Talbot of Syracuse.com).

"But let's be real," Miller said. "He's coming to the Bills. He's coming to the Bills. It's already said and done. He's coming the Bills. We're down a couple of receivers, man."

Buffalo has two depth receivers on injured reserve, Jamison Crowder and Marquez Stevenson, and No. 2 target Gabe Davis missed a game with an ankle injury.

The Super Bowl contenders already have a lot of competition for targets when everyone is healthy, though. Stefon Diggs is locked in as the team's No. 1 receiver and Davis has firmly established himself as the other outside starter.

Crowder, Isaiah McKenzie and rookie Khalil Shakir are all options in the slot, and tight end Dawson Knox has caught a touchdown in two straight games after a slow start to the season statistically.

So the question is whether OBJ, who'll likely sign a one-year deal for the rest of 2022 with an eye toward proving his health and re-entering free agency in the offseason, would be willing to accept a medium-volume role in Buffalo.

It's something Beane referenced in his remarks Wednesday, along with the need to make sure the former New York Giants standout would fit within the salary cap.

"If we did, you have to remember there's financials, there's roles, there's all sorts of things that would all have to line up," Beane said. "But yeah, a guy of his talent, of course we would look into that."

There's also the question of when Beckham will be ready to play.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported sources to believe the star's return timeline, which has generally been sometime in November, could be pushed into December, and he's told teams he wants to "assess his options" once ready to ensure he's entering the right situation.

The Bills' championship window is wide open, and their trade for Hines shows the front office is trying to create as much lineup depth and flexibility as possible to protect against injuries that arise, especially ones that could impact the playoff run.

Signing Beckham would fall under the same umbrella, though he's more of a game-changing player when in top form. But it's not a guarantee he'll get back to that level this season.

All told, OBJ would be terrific insurance for the Bills but it's not a free-agent pursuit that's going to make-or-break the team's title chances.