OWINGS MILLS, MD. — Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t counting, but he knows it has been “like 450 days” since he last played in a football game. As Beckham met with the media after Ravens practice on Sept. 6, four days before the Ravens open the 2023 season against the Houston Texans at M&T Bank Stadium, he described his return to the field as “a reset” and said in some ways it reminded him of his rookie season in 2014.
“I can tell you this, I’m excited,” Beckham said. “I’m excited to be back on the field. It’s truly a blessing. God really gave me another opportunity to play, the Ravens gave me another opportunity to play, and I don’t take it for granted.”
Beckham hasn’t played since Feb. 13, 2022 — more than 560 days ago, as it turns out — when his damaged knee ligament gave out during Super Bowl LVI between his Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals.
More than a year and an arduous rehab later, he landed in Baltimore on a one-year, $15 million deal as one of the headline signings of free agency and the centerpiece of the Ravens’ rebuilt passing attack.
The courtship between team and player reached the highest levels, with Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti getting involved in the recruitment of Beckham, a three-time Pro Bowl pick who called the Ravens a “world-class” organization.
“Practice, the weight room, training room, it’s just world class,” Beckham said. “I was kind of blown away by coming here. You never know what to expect anywhere you go, and it’s just been great. It’s been a great fit. I’m doing my best that I can to be the very best me that I could possibly be for the guys around me.”
Beckham, 30, was a charismatic, star attraction throughout training camp, prompting the biggest cheers from fans every day as he trotted onto the field with his hair dyed purple. More important, he appeared to suffer no physical setbacks in the roughly six weeks since players reported here this summer.
But neither he nor quarterback Lamar Jackson nor most other projected offensive starters played a snap in the team’s three preseason games, and all eyes now will be on how Beckham works with Jackson in the offense of new coordinator Todd Monken, who was with Beckham in Cleveland in 2019.
Beckham, Rashod Bateman — who appears to be fully recovered from the foot injury that sidelined him for the second half of last season — and rookie first-round pick Zay Flowers, coupled with All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews and other targets such as Nelson Agholor, Devin Duvernay, Tylan Wallace and tight end Isaiah Likely, give the Ravens their most explosive passing attack in Jackson’s six seasons.
Beckham wasn’t ready to compare that group with others he has played on, but said the mentality is, “We’re going to make plays.”
“I never put out any expectations,” Beckham said, “but the goal is to score points. I don’t have any numbers for you or anything like that, but the goal is to score points. Score more points than the other team and make plays and be explosive.”
Still, Beckham acknowledged that after an arduous rehab process, finally taking the field for an NFL game might be emotional.
“It’s been a long time in my mind, it’s been a long time in reality,” he said.
“I don’t know what emotions will be running through me,” he added. “I know I’ll be excited to play football again.”
PRACTICE NOTEBOOK
ANDREWS RETURNS TO PRACTICE: All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews returned to practice in a limited capacity on Sept. 6. Andrews had been sidelined for more than a week by an injury that head coach John Harbaugh never specified, but the official injury report indicates Andrews is dealing with a quad injury.
“He looked good. He looked fine,” Harbaugh said after practice.
HUMPHREY STILL SIDELINED: Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey was the only member of the Ravens’ 53-man roster who did not practice Sept. 6, leaving him unlikely to play in the season-opener against Houston.
Humphrey has been sidelined since mid-August after undergoing foot surgery. At the time, Harbaugh said he didn’t expect Humphrey’s injury to linger deep into the regular season, which was a driving force behind having the procedure done then. The Ravens’ official depth chart lists Brandon Stephens as Humphrey’s top backup, but the Ravens will likely use a rotation including Stephens, Rock Ya-Sin and Ronald Darby at outside corner if Humphrey is not available.
Other than Andrews, the only other player on the team’s first official injury report was tackle Ronnie Stanley, who was limited with an ankle injury.
Notably, wide receiver Rashod Bateman (foot) and backup quarterback Tyler Huntley (hamstring) were not listed on the injury report, nor were several of the cornerbacks who missed time at various points in training camp, meaning all appear to be fully healthy for Week 1.
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