Dolphins' McDaniel Downplays Odell Beckham Jr. Missing Practices amid Injury Recovery

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. began training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported.

Beckham still remains on the PUP list three weeks later, naturally raising concern about his status. But Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is keeping calm amid Beckham being sidelined, telling reporters the following on Wednesday (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

"I wouldn't have a level of concern. I think as the process goes, you have to put one foot in front of the other and what you don't want, and what I know Odell doesn't want, is getting on the grass and then leaving it. So just preparing people to be the version of themselves where they can play confident and convicted. All that is done where there is adversity — I don't think Odell sees it like that or I don't think the position room sees it like that because there's been some opportunities to play football. We have some young guys that have a lot of talent, that need to battle some stuff out to be able to win an NFL job.

"That's the biggest thing for the Dolphins team and really that position group. Odell has — his teammates know that he's working hard because he shows them every day as he gets back on the field where he knows — he didn't sign up for football to be in meetings. Even though my meetings are super entertaining, I don't think that was the case. So he's working his way back to be on the field which is what everyone wants."

Beckham, 31, caught 35 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns for the Baltimore Ravens last season. He added four catches for 34 yards in two playoff games.

OBJ didn't end last season injured, and there haven't been any reports of offseason ailments, so it's unclear what is ailing the 10-year veteran right now.

Beckham has dealt with serious injuries in the past, including a fractured left ankle in Oct. 2017, a torn ACL in his left knee on Oct. 2020 and a torn ACL in his left knee again during the Super Bowl in Feb. 2022. The former two ailments ended his seasons, and the latter ultimately kept him out for all of 2022.

Beckham was a superstar in the 2010s with the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns, amassing five 1,000-yard seasons and earning three Pro Bowl honors. He posted a 17-game average of 105 catches for 1,476 yards and 11 touchdowns from 2014-2019, per Pro Football Reference.

Unfortunately, injuries have significantly curtailed Beckham's career, though he's still shown flashes of his past brilliance, notably during his half-season with the 2021 Los Angeles Rams en route to helping them win the Super Bowl.

His offseason signing with the Miami Dolphins was certainly an exciting addition with the team already having a dynamic wideout duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. And it's still possible that Beckham could slide in as that WR3 to complement those superstars.

But right now, it's a waiting game as Beckham stays sidelined for undisclosed reasons. McDaniel isn't outwardly concerned, though, bringing hope that whatever ails OBJ isn't a long-term issue.

Regardless, the date to watch remains Sept. 8, when the Dolphins open the regular season at home versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.