Odell Beckham Jr. and Lauren Wood Announce Birth of Child; OBJ Confirms Knee Surgery
Mike Chiari@@mikechiari
Featured Columnist IVFebruary 23, 2022
Fresh off winning Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. shared some big news Wednesday.
Beckham posted a photo of himself and girlfriend Lauren Wood on Instagram announcing he had become a father and had successful knee surgery over the course of a few days (h/t ESPN's Lindsey Thiry):
Wood gave birth to baby Zydn last Thursday, and OBJ had knee surgery Tuesday.
During the Rams' 23-20 Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Beckham suffered a torn ACL, causing him to miss the second half of the contest.
Prior to getting injured, Beckham was trending toward having a big game. He had two grabs for 52 yards on three targets and scored the opening touchdown of the game.
L.A.'s offense stagnated without Beckham, and it took a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford to wide receiver Cooper Kupp with 1:25 remaining in the fourth quarter to put the Rams ahead for good.
The 2021 season was a roller-coaster ride for the 29-year-old Beckham, as he began the year with the Cleveland Browns.
After what Browns general manager Andrew Berry called "a level of frustration that exists that just really makes it difficult to have a productive reconciliation," the Browns released Beckham after failing to find a trade partner before the Nov. 2 deadline.
The Rams then signed Beckham, and his addition became a crucial one as No. 2 wideout Robert Woods tore his ACL and was lost for the season immediately afterward.
Beckham established himself as the No. 2 option behind Kupp, and he racked up 27 receptions for 305 yards and five touchdowns in eight regular-season games for the Rams.
OBJ was even better in the playoffs, registering 21 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns in four games.
Even though he was unable to finish the Super Bowl, the three-time Pro Bowler played a huge role in getting the Rams to the big game and putting them ahead early in the contest.
Beckham's future is uncertain since he is set to hit free agency while recovering from a torn ACL.
The Rams don't need to re-sign Beckham since receivers Kupp, Woods and Van Jefferson are all returning in 2022, but given how OBJ changed the dynamic of the offense, perhaps L.A. would be willing to keep him and bring him along slowly in his injury recovery.