Belichick responds to Odell Beckham Jr. questions as rumors swirl

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Odell Beckham Jr. and the New England Patriots are a fit on paper.

The Patriots lack of a big-play, deep threat kind of wide receiver. Jakobi Meyers leads the Patriots in receptions (46) and receiving yards (434) but hasn't found the end zone in 38 career games. Tight end Hunter Henry has five receiving touchdowns. The rest of the team has a total of six, and no other player has more than two. 

So, it's safe to say that an elite talent at wideout would be an impactful addition to the Patriots offense and give rookie quarterback Mac Jones another playmaker to target in the passing attack.

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Beckham was recently waived by the Cleveland Browns, and if he clears waivers by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, he'll be free to sign with any team. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday that Beckham wants to spend the rest of the 2021 NFL season "with a playoff contender and in a winning environment".

The Patriots, who currently sit in an AFC playoff spot after beating the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, check both of those boxes.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was asked a pair questions about Beckham during his Monday morning interview on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show".

Here's a recap of those two questions.

Question: What would you say a team would get if they were to pick (Beckham) up moving forward as a player?

Belichick: “What would they get? I don’t know. Depends on the team and what their situation was. I don’t really know.”

Question: But as a player, he’s obviously had some great seasons in the past. Recently, maybe not so much. But as a coach, what kind of player is he?

Belichick: “He’s a very talented player. I’ve obviously never coached him, so I don’t have any firsthand experience with that.”

Belichick, as you might expect, didn't say very much when asked about Beckham. He's never going to give opponents any indication of which we he might be leaning on a particular topic, especially potential player acquisitions.

Beckham tallied just 17 receptions for 232 yards and zero touchdowns in six games with the Browns this season. Those certainly aren't eye-popping numbers, but a change of scenery has the potential to invigorate him.

Next up on the Patriots' schedule is the Browns, who, like the Patriots, have a 5-4 record entering Week 10. It's a very important game for both teams as the AFC playoff race heats up in the second half of the season.

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