With changes happening weekly, and sometimes multiple times in a week, Minnesota Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley seems to be treating the practice squad like the bench of a fantasy football roster in a 16-team league.
Wednesday morning brought the latest evidence, with reports that wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. would be signed to the Vikings' practice squad. The team later confirmed the move, and "OBJ" was spotted on the practice field for the day's session.
Beckham spent the end of the 2021 season with the Los Angeles Rams, where he overlapped with Kevin O'Connell in the final of his two seasons as their offensive coordinator. With shared LSU roots, Beckham is also close friends with Justin Jefferson.
Now, at 34, those connections matter when it comes to an opportunity to keep playing. The nostalgia of his return to the New York Giants this season lasted three games, with one catchless target, before the team realized it could use his roster spot better.
Since tearing his ACL in the Rams' Super Bowl win to end the 2021 season, Beckham has caught 44 passes, and 35 of them came in 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens. His last season with more than 44 catches or 565 yards was in 2019 with the Cleveland Browns.
Jauan Jennings' lack of production leaves the Minnesota Vikings searching for answers at WR3
The Vikings apparently spent a long time searching for an experienced WR3 before signing Jauan Jennings in early May. A ferocious blocker with an acumen for moving the chains that earned him the nickname "First and Jauan" during his time with the San Francisco 49ers, he seemed like a great fit.
Jennings missed Week 2 against the Chicago Bears due to a death in his family. But in the three games he has played, he has been invisible, with just two catches for nine yards on four targets.
Some of that stark lack of production can be chalked up to Carson Wentz playing most of Week 1, and Kyler Murray working through some kinks in his two starts since returning from a concussion.
Jennings has not had playing time as an issue.
Perhaps because Jefferson has been out, Jennings has played nearly 80 percent and nearly 95 percent of the Vikings' offensive snaps in the last two games, respectively. In those games, Pro Football Focus says he has had route participation rates of 90 percent or better. His alignment is even being mixed nicely, out wide and in the slot on both sides of the formation, a good bit.
In terms of a lack of wide receiver production for the Vikings, this side of Jefferson and Jordan Addison, it's not just Jennings. Tai Felton has one catch in four games, while Myles Price's primary impact has been in the return game.
There's a case for Price to get more offensive snaps, but if it has to come at the expense of what he's doing as a return man, it probably isn't worth it. Jennings was supposed to be a legit, proven WR3, and it hasn't come close to happening yet.
Beckham peaked nearly 10 years ago, so he's not coming to the Vikings to threaten Jefferson or Addison's roles. In theory, he's coming in to bring production beyond what guys who haven't delivered through four games can. Maybe he can be a veteran mentor for Felton, Price, etc., if they're not in awe of him because of what he did a decade-plus ago.
If nothing else, the Vikings seem to think the current shell of Odell Beckham Jr. could be better in Jennings' role than he has been. That alone should offend and greatly motivate Jennings, which might be the point.
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