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Report: Steelers made late run at signing Odell Beckham Jr.

275133747_4796292347117549_592518599057046758_nby:Jonathan Wagner•11/14/21•

Jonathan Wagner

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Justin K. Aller via Getty Images.

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was waived by the Cleveland Browns last week. After he was released, Beckham Jr. had a number of teams that were interested in signing him. Ultimately, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams, but not before the Pittsburgh Steelers made a late push to bring him in.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday morning that the Steelers made a last minute attempt to sway him to come to Pittsburgh.

“When Odell Beckham Jr was whittling down his choices on Thursday, the Steelers called to make a last ditch run at a former rival,” Rapoport said. “Alas, a bit too late.”

By the time the Steelers tried to sign Beckham Jr., he was already reportedly down to signing with either the Rams or the Green Bay Packers per Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper. The Steelers would have been an interesting landing spot due to the team being a division rival of the Browns.

Pittsburgh lost JuJu Smith-Schuster with a season ending injury, so bringing Beckham Jr in would have made a lot of sense. Beckham Jr would have joined a Steelers receiving corps that includes Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson, and James Washington.

Beckham Jr could have a big role right away after signing with the Rams

The Rams signed Beckham Jr to a one-year deal that is worth up to $4.25 million. The deal gives him a $500,000 signing bonus and a $750,000 base salary. He can earn the remaining $3 million through team-based incentives.

It appears that Beckham Jr will play on Monday night when the Rams take on the San Francisco 49ers. When signing Beckham Jr, the Rams expected him to be the team’s third receiver behind Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods. But Woods suffered a torn ACL on the same day that Beckham Jr officially signed with the team. The injury wasn’t believed to be serious initially, but the team’s worst fears have now become reality.

Now, Beckham Jr is likely to slide into Woods’ role as the Rams’ No. 2 receiver. Van Jefferson has also seen success this season, and he will keep his current role as the team’s third receiver.