When the Los Angeles Rams welcome the Miami Dolphins to SoFi Stadium for the Week 10 edition of Monday Night Football, it will serve as a bit of a homecoming for not only Jalen Ramsey, who Les Snead traded to South Beach back in 2023, but also Odell Beckham Jr., who was a key part of the Super Bowl-winning team back in February of 2022.
While OBJ’s run in LA didn’t end as he would have hoped, suffering an ACL injury in the Super Bowl that cost him all of 2022, he’s since found a home in Miami after a largely successful run in Baltimore last season.
Discussing what it means for Beckham to return to town and how tough he remains to cover as Miami’s WR3, Sean McVay told reporters on Saturday that he’s proud of the relationship he’s forged with the LSU product and looks forward to seeing him again on Monday Night Football.
“He is such a special player and such a talent. I think the thing I respect as much as anything is what an impressive human he is and the things that he’s been able to overcome, whether it be some of the injury setbacks. You talk about a gifted, talented receiver, really smart and cerebral who can do so many different things. He was instrumental in us being able to do the things that we did for the short amount of time we had him here,” McVay told reporters.
“I think the important thing with people, this is both [Dolphins CB] Jalen [Ramsey] and Odell I feel this way about, do you leave an impact? What kind of relationships do you build and then what kind of impact do you leave? Both of those guys certainly left a big impact on me and this place. Jalen was here from 2019 to a couple years ago and even Odell was just a handful of months but the presence, the charisma, and the ability to really have such a good feel for what is needed in terms of the dynamics of the room. He’s as fun and as aware as anybody that I have been around. He was a real joy to coach, and I still keep in touch with both those guys. They mean a lot to me.”
Fortunately for the Rams, Beckham Jr. is far from the player he was in his heyday, having caught just three of the six balls thrown his way for 15 yards, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still contribute on any given game. Who knows, maybe Week 10 will serve as OBJ’s coming out part as a member of Miami, which would be good news for the player but bad news for his former team.
Sean McVay on how the Rams’ defense can slow down Miami’s offense
Elsewhere in his media availability, McVay was asked about Miami’s short passing offense and how it could give Chris Shula’s defense fits. While this challenge, especially when motion is involved, has given the entire NFL fits in 2024, McVay explained how the Rams plan to address it, which is a lot easier said than done.
“Well, that’s the challenge. You have to kind of pick your poison. It’s why they’ve been… when they’re operating the way that we all know they’re going to be operating on Monday night, they have a great scheme, and they have excellent players that can bring it to life,” McVay told reporters. “There are a variety of ways that they stretch you horizontally and vertically, and they have a bunch of different guys that can create with the ball in their hands whether they receive it in the screen game, intermediate, or down the field. This is a great challenge, but our guys are excited about it. This is why you get into the NFL.”
In the NFL, knowledge is half the battle. While the Rams may struggle to contain what Mike McDaniel schemes up on Monday Night Football, they at least have the personnel and expectation to know what to expect, which could prove to be the difference in the game.
