While fending off jet lag in London this week, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has spent time trying to figure out how to become a star again.
"I've just been sitting in my room while I'm trying to sleep … and I've just been thinking about it: How can I get back on track? How can I be the person that I know that I'm capable of being?" Beckham said Thursday, via The Associated Press. "I would absolutely love for that to start this Sunday."
Beckham and the Ravens will take on the Tennessee Titans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. But after sitting out the entire 2022 NFL season, Beckham's return to prominence has been a slow-developing affair.
The Ravens signed Beckham this offseason to a one-year, $15 million contract this offseason with the hopes that he could become one of Lamar Jackson's go-to receivers. That hasn't happened yet.
Beckham started Baltimore's first two games, grabbing five passes for 66 yards combined but also suffering an ankle injury in the first half of the Week 2 game against the Bengals. After missing Weeks 3 and 4, Beckham returned -- off the bench -- Sunday against the Steelers, catching two passes for 13 yards, playing about half the Ravens' offensive snaps in that game.
"It's been tough just finding a way to feel like you can help the team," Beckham said.
The 2014 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and three-time Pro Bowler hasn't had a 1,000-yard receiving season since 2019, with the Browns. He started his career with the Giants by registering at least 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first three seasons, but Beckham hasn't reached either of those benchmarks since.
The last time we saw Beckham play at a high level was in Super Bowl LVI. He was traded to Los Angeles during the 2021 season, catching a touchdown that helped the Rams win their second Super Bowl ever. But Beckham also suffered a torn ACL during that game that shelved him for the entire 2022 season.
In his past 17 regular-season games, dating back to the start of the 2021 NFL season, Beckham has totaled 51 catches for 616 yards (12.1 average) and five TD catches.
Perhaps the change of scenery in London can help get Beckham and the Ravens (3-2) going a bit. They've lost two of their past three games -- both games Baltimore could have won -- with Beckham barely contributing. The Ravens rank 26th in the NFL in pass yards per game (189.0) and have thrown four TD passes. Only two teams, the Titans and Giants, have thrown fewer this season.
Beckham said he's feeling good and hopeful that he can do more in order to help this new offense improve.
"I feel much better this week, even though there was a lot of traveling," Beckham said. "I (have) just got to come out and just be better, plain and simple, and do whatever I can to help this team win.
"Starting from my energy day to day, a lot of things that I feel like I can just do better. I've just got to accept that challenge, embrace it, and be exactly who I know I am."
