Cowboys’ offseason looks even better after Ravens’ OBJ signing
The Cowboys put in the time on a long and very public courtship with Odell Beckham Jr., only to see the three-time Pro Bowler wind up at the altar with someone else.
The Baltimore Ravens and Beckham agreed to terms on Sunday; the receiver will join John Harbaugh’s club on a one-year deal that will see him earn at least $15 million and perhaps as much as $18 million for the 2023 season.
Jerry Jones and the Cowboys were never going to agree to a price tag like that, no matter how many one-handed grabs the 30-year-old coming off a year-long ACL rehab made in carefully-controlled workouts.
More details on Odell Beckham Jr.‘s one-year deal with the #Ravens:
$13.835 million signing bonus
$1.165 million base salary
$3M in reachable incentivesSo OBJ will make at least $15 million and as much as $18M on the deal negotiated by agent Zeke Sandhu. https://t.co/z6S8tkjvP1
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 9, 2023
In truth, the OBJ door was likely closed by Dallas back on March 19, when they traded two late-round draft picks for Texans receiver Brandin Cooks.
And while the pair of wideouts will now always be linked in the minds of Cowboys fans, there’s a case to be made that Dallas got the far better deal.
Now, no one is suggesting that Beckham and Cooks are interchangeable pieces on the football field. But then again, the two are not all that dissimilar.
Both receivers were first-rounders in 2014; Beckham was the 12th overall selection, and Cooks was taken just eight picks later. They’ve been in the league the same amount of time, but Beckham has been sidelined for much of it. He’s played just two full seasons during his career, the last coming in 2019 in Cleveland. He’s appeared in 96 regular-season games and five playoff tilts; Cooks has been in 132 regular-season games and made six postseason appearances.
That could be interpreted to mean Beckham has amassed less wear and tear, but then again, Cooks doesn’t have a hamstring tear, ankle fracture, and two separate ACL tears on his chart.
With that extra playing time, Cooks has six 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, one more than Beckham. A head-to-head look at their regular-season stats shows just how even the two are, production-wise.
Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Yd/Rec | Rec/Gm | Yd/Gm | TD/Gm |
Odell Beckham Jr. | 531 | 7,367 | 56 | 13.9 | 5.5 | 76.7 | 0.6 |
Brandin Cooks | 630 | 8,616 | 49 | 13.7 | 4.8 | 65.3 | 0.4 |
Either makes a seasoned addition to an NFL offense, of course, But the two will likely carry very different expectations into their new locker rooms.
In Dallas, Cooks is clearly a complementary piece to CeeDee Lamb. He’ll be a veteran presence who will demand more attention from opposing secondaries than, say, Noah Brown or Jalen Tolbert and open up more opportunities for Lamb, Michael Gallup, and whoever lines up at tight end.
Beckham, on the other hand, will no doubt be treated as the top target in a Ravens WR corps that last season leaned on the likes of Demarcus Robinson, Devin Duvernay, and Rashod Bateman. Tight end Mark Andrews actually led the club in receptions and receiving yards in 2022, and Nelson Algolor has also joined Baltimore, but Beckham is the marquee upgrade who will be counted on to set the pace in the air game (provided OBJ’s arrival is a factor in convincing quarterback Lamar Jackson to remain with the flock).
With all of that context, the Ravens’ $15-18 million rental investment in Beckham suddenly looks like a massive gamble. They’re banking on him staying healthy, they’re banking on him remaining an elite-level receiving talent despite what’s sure to be consistent double-coverage, they’re banking on him helping to get Jackson back, and- let’s face it- they’re banking on him not causing drama.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, will pay Cooks a much more manageable $12 million this year (they also have him locked up for next year for another $8 million) to do exactly what he’s been doing like clockwork for nine very solid seasons. And just take a look at everyone else the Dallas front office signed with the free agent money left over…
The upcoming campaign will ultimately prove which receiver was the better catch for their new team. Sure, Beckham seems like the head-turning hottie you post beach-vacation pictures with on your socials and show off to your jealous friends, but Cooks could turn out to be the one who you bring home to meet your family and build something truly special with.
