OWINGS MILLS, Md. — He is the Ravens’ highest-priced, highest profile addition and at long last Odell Beckham Jr. is on the field.
"I’ve been away from the game for a little bit of time. So, it just feels good to finally be back here and get things going," he said.
Beckham Jr. was at day one of mandatory minicamp. It was his first time wearing a Ravens uniform and the first time practicing with his new quarterback, Lamar Jackson.
"[To] catch a few passes from him earlier today, he’s got a strong arm. It gets up on you fast," he said. "It’s one of the reasons why I signed here. He is definitely, we all know, one of the most electrifying players that we’ve seen at that position."
And so is OBJ at receiver when healthy. The 30-year-old inked a one-year contract with the Ravens in April worth up to a reported $18 million. He is entering his ninth NFL season and missed all of last year after tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl in February 2022.
The three-time Pro Bowler and two-time second-team All-Pro said it’s been a long journey to get to this point.
"I feel good. It feels good to be able to get out of bed and not feel pain."
Getting back to practice on Tuesday he said was both emotional and meaningful.
"I think it is. I’ve been trying to not think about it so much because there have been so many disappointments and I’ve been in a good mental head space to where I’ve tried to downplay this."
After missing all of voluntary organized team activities, there was no downplaying this for the head coach.
"I love the guy. I mean he is a pro. He is what you would expect from a world class athlete. He is a highly competitive guy," said Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.
Minicamp runs through Thursday. Beckham Jr. said between then and the start of training camp in late July he is planning to travel to Florida to train with Jackson.
As for the rest of OBJ’s new teammates, everyone reported for this mandatory portion of the off-season. That includes J.K. Dobbins. However the running back, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract and did not report for OTA's, did not take part in practice.
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