Cote: New Dolphin Odell Beckham Jr. has the name & fame. Let’s see if he still has the game | Opinion

The aura around him, the sizzle in his wake, still hasn’t left Odell Beckham Jr.

He conveys stylish cool like Dwyane Wade did. OBJ has appeared as himself in TV series, and in music videos by Drake and Nicki Minaj. His welcome to instant stardom 10 years ago was on the biggest media stage in America, New York, and it catapulted him and wrapped him in the sort of lasting celebrity that is bigger than a football field.

Three straight Pro Bowl selections and 35 touchdown catches his first three years out of LSU didn’t hurt.

Beckham appeared at his Miami Dolphins introduction on Wednesday sharp in a double-breasted white suit, diamond studs in the left ear as accents. From a reporter came the obligatory (if dated) Miami Vice reference.

“Look good, feel good, play good,” said Beckham, smiling.

As he joins the Dolphins, you could argue Beckham immediately is the team’s biggest star, which is not less than remarkable because this team is not bereft of high-watt talent, and mostly, because, at age 31, this is a receiver now long past his prime in terms of NFL production.

It has been a minute, as the kids say, since Beckham’s last 1,000-yard season in 2019 and last Pro Bowl in 2016.

Look at other numbers, though, and see the man has 17.6 million Instagram followers, a number conveying currency, relevance. For perspective, Miami’s top star receiver, Tyreek Hill, has 2.6 million. The man who will be throwing passes to OBJ, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, has 1.1 million. The biggest star in the NFL, champion Patrick Mahomes, has 6.8 million.

With Beckham on board an already exciting Dolphins team built on speed, built for “Hard Knocks” and prime time, unquestionably has added yet more starpower, more intrigue.

Miami is getting Beckham’s name and fame.

But what about his game? How much of that is left?

The question is fair to wonder, and the answer will be fascinating to watch play out.

I asked Beckham directly if he feels he has anything left to prove, to himself or others, at this point in his career?

“I’m always here to prove something. I want to end my career on my terms,” he said. “Don’t know when that is, one year, two years, three years — but it’s about wanting to end on a strong note. There’s no way I don’t want to finish a high note. It’s about resilience. The way it’s been the last few years, I can’t go out like that.”

Since his New York Giants heyday, he has been a Cleveland Brown, an L.A. Ram and a Baltimore Raven, battling a couple of injuries (he’s healthy) now, and with mixed but generally diminishing results.

The Dolphins have a bit of a track record for signing aging receivers for a hoped-for last hurrah, Irving Fryar to Brandon Marshall. But OBJ is the biggest star.

I have heard Beckham referred to by some as a certain Hall of Famer, even a sure first-ballot guy.

He is not.

There is work to do on that front. He has a chance, but it will take a late bump from his career’s Miami chapter to make it happen. Pro Football Reference’s Hall of Fame monitor puts his current likelihood score at 35.8. The average career score for wide receivers in Canton is 101.4.

A comparison to historically great Dolphins WRs Mark Duper and Mark Clayton is relevant for context.

Beckham has 566 catches for 7,932 yards and 59 touchdowns, with three Pro Bowls.

Duper had 511 catches for 8,869 yards and 59 TDs, with three Pro Bowls.

Clayton had 592 catches for 8,974 yards and 84 TDs, with five Pro Bowls.

Neither Clayton nor Duper ever got within a whiff of Canton. Beckham has the advantage of bigger beyond-football celebrity, and also having helped the Rams win a Super Bowl with a big playoffs in 2021. But he will still likely need a bump from a couple of more big seasons — a late-career renaissance — to lift him into the Hall convo.

Miami gives him a chance.

His signing is a great fit for both player and team.

Expect the Dolphins to deploy a lot of three-receiver sets with Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Beckham, with the two main guys drawing so much defensive attention that OBJ will get his opportunity to flex in single coverage. With Tagovailoa coming off a Pro Bowl year, a dynamic ground game and now Jonnu Smith added as an offense-minded tight end, Miami will be a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators.

And that was before the Fins added Beckham. He is an instant and palpable improvement over Braxton Berrios or anybody else through the revolving door of third-receiver options Miami tried last season.

Because of Hill and Waddle, OBJ will be nobody’s early round fantasy draft pick. But he feels to me like a smart late-rounds steal.

And Miami got him cheap. Patience did that, a credit to general manager Chris Grier. Beckham’s camp sought a deal in the $12 million to $15 million range for one year. But no teams were biting; further evidence of a leaguewide perception and concern that OBJ might be closer to washed than to what he once was.

The Dolphins got him in the bargain bin for one-year and $3 million, though that could balloon just past $8 million if incentives are met.

There is very little downside at that price, especially since he seems to have the right attitude and doesn’t arrive as the aging diva still expecting WR1 targets.

“Guess I got to get back on the track; there’s some speed down here,” he said with a smile. “I never shied away from competition. But I haven’t been the No. 1 in a while, so it’s not new. You just learn to roll with it. I’m super excited for the opportunity. Coach [Mike] McDaniel sold me on the idea.”

He admits Tagovailoa throwing left-handed gave him pause, but Beckham was suitably impressed by the QB’s accuracy and spin.

Beckham has a 2-year-old son who he says has grounded him.

“Gives you patience,”he said. “I found out peace, instead of carrying anger and resentment. I’m excited to be at peace. I’m comfortable in my own skin.”

He admits football is no longer his be-all end-all but still is driven to end his career on the upswing:

“I want to do something special down here.”