Seahawks should not take a chance on claiming Odell Beckham Jr.

Odell Beckham, Jr. will be officially released on Monday by the Cleveland Browns. The Seahawks have the cap space to claim him but shouldn’t. With Cleveland and Beckham having worked out a deal to have the Browns release him, any team wanting to claim him off waivers may owe him as much as $7.25 million. That number could be less depending on what the final deal was between Beckham and the Browns.

The problem I see isn’t one of money, though, when it comes to the Seahawks possibly putting in a claim on Beckham. While he is a very good receiver, he also might be a bit overrated. In fact, Beckham hasn’t been what one might call delete since 2016. He was probably ill-suited for the Browns when he was traded to them in 2019 but he also wasn’t great with the Giants in the years before that.

The last time Beckham caught more than 55.6 percent of his targets in a season was 2018. The last time he had more than 6 touchdown receptions in a season was 2016. Beckham simply won’t take a good, yet inconsistent, Seahawks offense (when Russell Wilson is playing, of course) to a level of greatness.

Seahawks should not claim Odell Beckham, Jr.

Actually, signing Beckham probably isn’t good for player or team. This year while the focus of the passing game, whether it’s Russell Wilson or Geno Smith at quarterback, has been Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf even getting Lockett and Metcalf enough touches hasn’t been easy.

Metcalf is third in the NFL with 8 touchdown passes and is 11th in yards receiving with 580. Lockett is right behind Metcalf in yards receiving with 579. But Lockett is 24th in the NFL in targets (58) and Metcalf is 28th with 56. Adding Beckham only takes targets away from Lockett and Metcalf when those two actually need more targets.

Maybe one makes the argument that having Beckham allows Lockett and Metcalf more space but that also doesn’t appear to be the case. Freddie Swain is third on the Seahawks in targets but with only 24 and Gerald Everett is fourth with just 17. Lockett and Metcalf get targeted, rightfully so, a lot more than any other potential receiver for Seattle so adding a third receiver doesn’t necessarily give them more chances.

And if I am Beckham, Jr., and I have wanted the ball more than what I was getting in Cleveland then going to Seattle isn’t the answer. He will get the ball, or he should. Lockett and Metcalf are better receivers currently.

Plus, the Seahawks do have some money to spend still and it should be on a receiver. Seattle could use a center or another high-end edge rusher. Those players won’t truly be available right now, however, but just because Seattle has money does not mean they should spend on a third receiver who isn’t going to make the team better.