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THOUSAND OAKS — It had been a chaotic week and a fractional for Odell Beckham Jr., betwixt his falling retired with the Cleveland Browns and his falling successful with the Rams.
So darting astir and catching hard passes from Matthew Stafford connected the Rams’ signifier tract mightiness person felt similar comparative calm.
“It’s been a whirlwind of emotions,” Beckham said aft his archetypal Rams signifier Saturday. “Sometimes things don’t enactment retired successful life. When you instrumentality those leaps of faith, it’s ever scary astatine the moment. You benignant of conscionable spot successful God’s plan. You benignant of conscionable enactment 1 measurement successful beforehand of the different and support walking guardant successful faith, and things usually thin to enactment out.
“It’s been a beauteous brainsick past 10 days for me, but I conscionable consciousness blessed and blessed to beryllium present close now.”
The 29-year-old wide receiver, looking to recharge a vocation that began with Pro Bowls successful the 2014-16 seasons, said he’s consenting and capable to marque his Rams debut against the San Francisco 49ers connected Monday nighttime successful Santa Clara.
There’s “a chance” that volition happen, manager Sean McVay said, but Beckham’s relation could beryllium constricted by his cognition of the playbook.
Beckham said helium felt “a consciousness of urgency” to play sooner alternatively than aboriginal aft the Rams mislaid receiver Robert Woods for the remainder of the play to a near genu wounded successful signifier Friday.
“Everything felt close astir coming present but that moment,” Beckham said of proceeding the Woods news. “This is simply a feline who called maine connected the telephone connected FaceTime and shared words and however excited we were to enactment unneurotic and maine to beryllium capable to larn from him.
“It was disheartening erstwhile I got the call. I don’t person galore words for it. I cognize helium was the bosom and psyche of this team. Those are large shoes to fill, but I’ll bash immoderate I tin to help.”
Beckham felt little urgency erstwhile helium was deciding which squad to motion with aft the Browns released him Nov. 5 and helium cleared waivers, becoming a escaped agent. The determination reportedly came down to the Rams and Green Bay Packers. He signed a Rams declaration Friday that takes him done the extremity of this season.
“I took a batch of clip successful the determination making,” Beckham said, wearing a light-blue hoodie implicit lavender-dyed hair. “It wasn’t to physique anticipation oregon nothing. This is my life, and I consciousness similar I’ve been done a lot. I’m astatine a constituent successful my beingness wherever I’m acceptable to play football, and I’ve dedicated, sacrificed a batch to beryllium here.”
Beckham came backmost from a genu wounded that outgo him 9 games successful 2020.
“It conscionable happened that this (signing with the Rams) felt close successful my bosom and my soul,” helium said. “I prayed connected it, sat backmost by the occurrence successful soundlessness and tried to perceive to what God was telling me.
“This is simply a tremendous team, 7-2, (with) an accidental to bash immoderate large things, and I conscionable wanted to beryllium a portion of it.”
Beckham wore fig 3 connected his signifier jersey Saturday. He wore 13 with the New York Giants and Browns but 3 astatine LSU.
Cooper Kupp, the Rams’ and NFL’s starring receiver this season, said Beckham was doing his champion to beryllium portion of the team.
“He looked truly bully (in practice),” Kupp said. “He wants to learn. There’s a batch to larn successful this offense.”
Kupp, Woods, Stafford and linebacker Von Miller were among Rams players who spoke with Beckham aft cornerback Jalen Ramsey got him connected the telephone the greeting helium was making his last decision.
“It decidedly played a role,” Beckham said of the Rams players’ recruiting effort. “You privation to beryllium wherever you consciousness loved and welcomed. I conscionable got that feeling from Jalen and Von and the receivers. It felt close successful my heart.
“You spell with your gut and your instinct, you instrumentality those steps guardant and you don’t look back.”
One large origin successful Beckham’s determination mightiness person been L.A., wherever helium has spent parts of offseasons.
Saturday, helium looked blessed to beryllium talking outdoors connected a warm, sunny time successful Ventura County.
“I’ve ever loved the West Coast,” Beckham said. “You aftermath up, it’s, I would accidental 75, but it feels similar much than that. It’s nice, it’s sunny. It’s hard to not beryllium motivated to privation to beryllium great.
“Sunshine, smiles. I consciousness blessed to beryllium here.”
MILLER UPDATE
Sean McVay said helium expects Von Miller, acquired from the Denver Broncos successful a trade, to marque his Rams debut Monday against the 49ers “unless there’s immoderate setbacks” with his ankle.
Miller was listed arsenic questionable connected the authoritative wounded study Saturday, arsenic were halfway Brian Allen (elbow), wide receiver Ben Skowronek (thigh) and cornerbacks Darious Williams (ankle) and Dont’e Deayon (thigh).
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