Odell Beckham Jr., Long move to PUP list. And Dolphins sign receiver and lose a receiver
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will begin his first Dolphins training camp on the physically unable to perform list. So will David Long Jr., who was one of the NFL’s best linebackers against the run last season.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported on Tuesday that Beckham will be placed on PUP and “is working through minor things” that are “part of the plan for easing him back into football.”
Long is out for the start of camp with an undisclosed injury; he had 113 tackles, including nine for loss, last season. He had soft issue injuries when he played for Tennessee, prompting then-Titans coach Mike Vrabel to call him a “repeat offender.”
The Beckham and Long moves to PUP were among a series of roster moves on Tuesday. The others:
▪ The Dolphins signed wide receiver Kyric McGowan, who has appeared in two NFL games for Washington. He went undrafted in 2021 after playing four years at Northwestern and one at Georgia Tech.
▪ Rookie receiver Tajh Washington, who sustained a significant injury during the team’s offseason program, was placed on the reserve/injured list and could miss the season. (Teams can bring back eight players off IR during the season, but teams typically save those spots for key veterans.)
▪ The Dolphins officially signed edge player Emmanuel Ogbah, as reported earlier.
▪ Running back Salvon Ahmed (who had a minor medical issue) and rookie safety Mark Perry were activated off the non-football injury list.
The biggest news was the loss of Washington, the team’s seventh round pick out of Southern California, and the PUP decisions on Beckham and Long.
Beckham, 31, was sidelined for the team’s voluntary workouts and mandatory minicamp.
In May, the Dolphins signed Beckham to a one-year contract with a base salary of $3 million, with another $5.25 million in incentives.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Beckham has 566 career receptions for 7932 yards and 59 touchdowns.
He spent last season with the Baltimore Ravens, catching 35 passes for 565 yards (a 16.1 average) and three touchdowns while appearing in 14 games and starting six. He caught four passes for 34 yards in the Ravens’ two playoff games.
When healthy, he’s expected to be the team’s No. 3 receiver, supplementing starters Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Besides those three, the Dolphins’ other veteran receivers under contract are Braxton Berrios, Erik Ezukanma, River Cracraft and Anthony Schwartz, who spent much of last season on the practice squad. Rookie draft pick Malik Washington also is competing for a job.
Beckham and Long are among six Dolphins beginning camp on the active/PUP list. The others: edge rushers Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb and Cameron Goode and guard Isaiah Wynn. All four are coming off major injuries last season.
A player who begins training camp on the PUP list isn’t allowed to practice with his team but can train on the side, attend meetings and watch practice and walk-throughs.
A player can only be placed on the active/PUP list before the start of training camp; Dolphins veterans reported Tuesday and have their first practice on Wednesday.
Players on PUP count against the 90-man roster limit and can come off the PUP list at any point during camp and begin practicing immediately.
But players who begin camp on PUP and then come off cannot return to the PUP list if they sustain a setback or different injury during training camp or preseason.
Teams have until rosters are sliced to 53 players, which is Aug. 30 this season, to shift a player to reserve/PUP. A player can receive this designation if he’s still on the active/PUP list by the time training camp rosters are cut to 53.
Players shifted to the reserve/PUP list must sit out at least the first four regular season games. (The Dolphins’ fourth game is Sept. 30 against the Tennessee Titans.)
Once a player leaves the reserve/PUP list, the team has as many as 21 days to move him to the 53-man roster. He can practice with the team until he’s taken off the list.
If the player still isn’t able to play in games after the 21-day period, he will remain on the reserve/PUP list for the duration of the season.
This story was originally published July 23, 2024 at 4:00 PM.
