San Francisco 49ers Rumors: Odell Beckham Jr. a trade target?
If the recent San Francisco 49ers rumors are to be believed, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is on their radar as a potential trade target heading into 2019.
Everyone knows the San Francisco 49ers have a serious problem at wide receiver. However, I don’t many folks assumed that New York Giants superstar Odell Beckham Jr. could be the solution. Well, rumor has it the 49ers would target the human highlight reel if he’s made available.
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, things could get interesting if the Giants decided to once again test the trade market for their eccentric pass-catcher.
"If the Giants decide to move on from receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the 49ers could pursue him.The 49ers considered it during that window last year when Beckham seemed to be available, and there’s already buzz this year that, if he’s available, the 49ers would be interested."
It just makes sense, right? Why not have interest in filling arguably your biggest need with one of the best players in the game? It would be a no-brainer, especially for a team desperate to surround franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo with capable playmakers.
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Beckham is among the most capable of playmakers when it comes to the wide receiver position. On top of boasting some of the best hands in the game, he’s an electric weapon on the outside. Combining ridiculous athleticism with tremendous speed, route running and instincts in the open field, he’s quickly emerged as one of the NFL’s most dynamic receivers.
The only lingering concern here is that, after missing most of the 2017 season due to an ACL tear, Beckham had what can only be described as a modest 2018 campaign by his standards. He caught only 77 passes for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns. Although Eli Manning‘s play and Saquon Barkley‘s presence didn’t help, it was a relatively underwhelming effort from OBJ.
Still, there’s no denying he’d be a welcomed addition in San Francisco.
This also comes on the heels of numerous 49ers players putting in some not-so-subtle recruiting of another superstar receiver. Antonio Brown, who is currently at odds with the Pittsburgh Steelers, received some interest on Twitter from San Francisco tight end George Kittle. Garoppolo didn’t seem opposed to the idea.
It’s clear the 49ers (both the front office and players) are eager to make an upgrade at wide receiver. It’s been a position of concern over the last two years, with Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin and Kendrick Bourne serving as the top targets out wide during that time. The emergence of Kittle helped this past season, but that’s not going to be enough.
Having a legitimate No. 1 receiver like Beckham on the team would be a big boost for the San Francisco offense. It would put a deadly arrow in Garoppolo’s quiver, while also taking pressure off Kittle to carry the passing game.
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If the diva receiver is made available, don’t be surprised to see the 49ers strike up a conversation.