Odell Beckham Jr.’s Second ACL Tear During Super Bowl Was Blessing In Disguise According to NFL Insider; Here’s Why

It seems like the Cincinnati Bengals are bad news for Odell Beckham Jr.’s knee. The wide receiver hurt his ACL twice, both times playing against the Bengals. Beckham was a favorite to win the MVP in the Super Bowl LVI game. However, fate had other plans. The Rams star could not finish the game due to an unfortunate injury. 

But according to the NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the second injury was a blessing in disguise. OBJ tearing his ACL for the second time could be the best thing that has ever happened to the athlete. It could end up extending his career as an active player. 

Odell Beckham Jr. and his ACL injuries

The first time Odell Beckham Jr. hurt his ACL was when he was a part of the Cleveland Browns. The unfortunate injury occurred when the Browns faced the Bengals on October 25, 2020. Baker Mayfield, the Browns quarterback, was looking to connect with Beckham with a drive early in the first quarter. But the pass was intercepted by Darius Phillips, who was the Bengals CB back then. Philips and Beckham collided in an awkward tackle, and the wide receiver suffered a knee injury. 

The second injury occurred during the Super Bowl LVI game. OBJ was en route to becoming the MVP of the game with his phenomenal performance. The receiver had been amazing all throughout last season. During the first half of the big game, Beckham made two receptions for 52 yards and scored one touchdown.

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However, during the game, the 29-year-old tore the same ACL. The injury sidelined the receiver for the entire second half. The Rams won the Super Bowl, but that was not the only happy ending for OBJ it seems. 

Does the injury benefit OBJ?

Many thought that the ACL injury would shorten the career of Odell Beckham Jr., but that is not the case. While rehabbing his first injury, Beckham’s knee surgery did not go as planned. His knee was not 100%. Ian Rapoport revealed on the Pat McAfee that the injury was good for the Rams wide receiver. 

“The team doctor corrected a previous surgery from a couple of years ago,” Rapoport said. “The knee was a concern because it was not 100% healthy, and I don’t believe they [Rams] would’ve given him [Odell Beckham Jr.] a long-term deal just based on the knee because it was troubling.” 

According to Rapoport, there were some mistakes made in the previous surgery. But the doctor has fixed those. OBJ will be 100% in the next season. The Rams were debating whether to re-sign the WR or not due to the ACL concerns, but now they might finally pull the trigger. 

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