Dolphins’ Odell Beckham flashes athleticism, but sits out both days of minicamp

It’s the moment Dolphins fans have been waiting for ever since he was signed.

It’s the moment Jaylen Waddle can’t wait for either.

The moment is when Odell Beckham Jr., Tyreek Hill and Waddle all line up together on the field.

That moment will have to wait until training camp in late July.

“I can’t wait, man. Like I said, when I was in high school, these guys were getting it done in the league,” Waddle said after Tuesday’s minicamp practice. “So I was a fan of ‘OBJ,’ I was a fan of Tyreek Hill. They’re like the head honchos of the pass era, so playing with them, the kid in me is going to be kind of excited.”

Sure, Beckham Jr. was on the field during the two practices of the Dolphins’ mandatory minicamp this week and wearing his No. 3 Dolphins jersey.

But that’s about as much gear as he had on.

Donning a cap turned backwards, long aqua sleeves and shorts, Beckham interacted with his new teammates and coaches, but did not take part in any team activities.

“Everybody’s excited to see players when they first get here, and a player of that caliber, everybody is pumped up,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “But systematically, we try to learn the player and develop a relationship with them and adjust to their body and their timeline so we can have the most beneficial, communicative relationship with maintaining health.”

The Dolphins signed Beckham Jr. on May 3 to a one-year deal with a $3 million base salary and $5.25 million worth of incentives.

The team is hoping the three-time Pro Bowl receiver, who has started 97 games and will turn 32 this November, will make the Dolphins’ offense, which was the highest ranked in the league last season even more explosive.

Beckham, who missed the 2022 season with an ACL injury, caught 35 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns last season with the Baltimore Ravens.

The Dolphins would love for Beckham Jr. to give them a dependable third option to spread the targets and some of the defensive attention away from Hill and Waddle, whose 275 combined targets accounted for 50 percent of the team’s targets last season.

Hill was targeted 171 times and Waddle was targeted 104 times. The next-highest by a receiver was Cedrick Wilson with 38.

“All those guys are smart guys, and obviously Odell has been an extremely productive player in this league for a long time and a heck of an asset for us,” Dolphins receivers coach Wes Welker said. “Obviously we’d love to spread the ball around and not depend on two guys all the time. That’s something that comes and we’ve added some pieces this year where they won’t have to take on all those challenges as far as the coverages and different things where other people can get the ball when those two are doubled or whatever is happening.”

Beckham showed off his athleticism a little bit on Wednesday, albeit in an informal setting.

Beckham Jr., the Dolphins quarterbacks, including Tua Tagovailoa and their position coach, took part in a friendly competition where they threw passes into the net set in the corner of the end zone. Beckham put his throws into the net two consecutive times.

Beckham then jogged over to the middle of the practice field and fired a 60-yard pass that hit the crossbar on one attempt, showing off his arm strength.

When things get serious again in training camp, the Dolphins will be counting on Beckham Jr. to complement their two speedsters in Hill and Waddle in the hopes of expanding what they can do offensively.

“Each individual has to earn their keep and earn their targets, so having all three at the same time isn’t necessarily a big deal to me,” McDaniel said recently before one of the team’s OTAs. “It’s each and every one of them understanding our offense, how to separate in the timing of the play, understanding how to align and who and what to block.”

THIS AND THAT

▪ Quarterbacks Mike White and Skylar Thompson continued to take all the snaps in 11-on-11 drills on Wednesday while Tagovailoa worked in 7-on-7 and other drills.

▪ Rookie running back Jaylen Wright did not participate in Wednesday’s practice after taking part in Tuesday’s session.

▪ Cornerbacks Kader Kohou and Nik Needham have not been seen working in either of the two practices so far although each participated heavily in OTAs. Linebacker David Long Jr. was also not seen in either practice. Neither was Isaiah Wynn, who is projected to be the team’s starting left guard.

▪ Defensive tackle Teair Tart took part in Wednesday’s practice after not practicing on Tuesday.

▪ The Dolphins canceled Thursday’s practice and will hold a team walkthrough instead.