MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Is it time to start worrying about the injury status of Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.?
After sitting out minicamp with an undisclosed injury, Beckham has spent the first week of training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has yet to reveal the nature of Beckham’s injury, but on Friday provided more context regarding the three-time Pro Bowl wideout.
When Will Miami Dolphins WR Odell Beckham Jr. Return to the Field?
McDaniel suggested to reporters that the injury issue that Beckham kept out of spring ball is still bothering him now.
“It wasn’t recent; it was something he was working through,” McDaniel said. “Like we do with all the guys that are coming off something, we don’t want setbacks.
“Setbacks in this time of year are pretty, pretty problematic most of the time for guys for the whole season because you’re using — this time is for you to be able to be game-ready for football.”
McDaniel added: “We signed Odell to be Odell. Between the Miami Dolphins and him, we’re making sure that we get him back on the field the right way and hit the ground running.”
Mike McDaniel on Odell Beckham Jr. injury situation pic.twitter.com/ix6xOft8Er
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Beckham has a long history of injuries, appearing in just 35 games the last two years. The biggest concern, of course, is any sort of setback involving his twice-repaired left ACL.
Asked about the team’s approach to ensure Beckham doesn’t suffer yet another recurrence, McDaniel said:
“It’s science. Don’t ask me anything more than that. Every individual is unique to their own. People respond differently. Our buddy Frank Gore, I think, tore an ACL every year of his adolescence or something. And then played 30 years.
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“Players need to know that. You can’t just take things at surface value. For him, you see how the body responds, and you don’t go into it assuming anything. If the body loves it, you just let him roll. If there’s some swelling, you chill out. And then you kind of go that way.”