Kelly: A once-faded star should be given opportunity to shine bright against Patriots | Opinion

Odell Beckham Jr. has participated in all of two team practices since signing with the Miami Dolphins in the first week of May.

He has probably watched a handful more since joining the team.

Still, the Dolphins’ most high-profile free agent player signed this offseason needs to play on Sunday against the New England Patriots.

This isn’t about expecting the Beckham who became a household name with the New York Giants, the former LSU standout who lit the NFL on fire, becoming a three-time Pro Bowler early in his career.

Beckham needs to play because the Dolphins (1-3) are a desperate team, one with a hemorrhaging offense that needs to show there’s proof of life. And Beckham could provide that proof for three important reasons.

The first is the fact Miami has been unable to find a third weapon in the passing game for the first four contests of the season.

The Jonnu Smith package has fizzled early, so much so that the coaches have prematurely abandoned all the tight end plays they spend all summer creating.

Braxton Berrios is battling an ankle injury, and even if he wasn’t, by now the world must have realized he’s little more than a glorified punt returner.

River Cracraft ended up on injured reserve because of a shoulder injury he sustained in the preseason. Malik Washington, one of two receivers drafted in 2024, has been nursing a quadriceps injury. Erik Ezukanma, who is still nursing a foot injury, is on his last lifeline with this team.

And Dee Eskridge, a 2021 second-round pick who signed to Miami’s practice squad the team in September, has one more game day elevation, which means it might be wise for the Dolphins to save that for an emergency.

If we’re honest, the Dolphins signed Beckham to relieve some of the pressure Hill and Waddle are under as the No. 3 receiver.

No better time than now to get the show on the road.

“I’m being pretty measured with allowing the week to progress because it was exciting to see him operate within the offense,” coach Mike McDaniel said on Friday, hours before the Dolphins cut quarterback Tim Boyle, opening up a roster for one player to be elevated to the 53-man roster. “He did a good job.”

The second reason Beckham needs to be on the field Sunday — even if it’s in a limited role — is because nobody on the team has more chemistry with quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley than Beckham, who spent all last season with him as teammates in Baltimore.

“That’s my dude,” Beckham said of Huntley, who completed 14 of 22 passes last week, throwing for 96 yards and gaining 40 rushing yards and scoring a rushing touchdown on eight carries.. “It’s funny because he threw me my first touchdown [reception] over in Baltimore.”

Plenty of the pass game comes down to timing, rhythm, and most importantly comfort.

Huntley, who has been with the Dolphins for all of three weeks and eight practices, is preparing to start his second game because Tua Tagovailoa is sidelined by a concussion at least another two games, and Skylar Thompson is nursing broken ribs.

It would be ideal for him to know he can play a two-man game with someone who has scored 60 career touchdowns, which is a feat every receiver on Miami roster — collectively — hasn’t achieved with Hill being the lone exception.

At this point, Beckham, a 10-year veteran, probably knows slightly less of the Dolphins offense than every backup receiver outside of Berrios. So why shouldn’t the Dolphins play him on Sunday, in a game where the season’s on the line because of the challenges digging the team out a 1-4 hole would create.

And finally, the third reason to play Beckham against New England is the fact he has risen to the occasion during his career in multiple big moments, which means this stage, the pressure, won’t be too much for him to handle.

He might be a faded star, but it’s better to have shined bright than to never have shined at all.

“The old guy can still run a little bit,” Beckham said. “I think I feel obviously a bit out of football shape in a sense, but just like everything else, it comes with repetition.

“I don’t think the people understand how much joy that is, to be able to not even stretch and I can go out there and just take off running,” Beckham continued, referring to his grueling rehab sessions. “It’s been a long journey with me, the things I’ve had to encounter in my career, so just being able to get out there felt great.”