Stephen Jones provides insight on Odell Beckham Jr. pursuit 

Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones has explained why the club didn’t sign star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. before the playoffs.

“We brought Odell Beckham Jr. in for a visit. Decided he wasn’t ready to play,” Jones told reporters Wednesday, as shared by the Cowboys’ website. “(But) that’s the way we left it with him. Get ready to play, and then let’s revisit. We obviously had an interest for a reason.” 

Jones added the Cowboys “absolutely” plan to resume discussions with Beckham sooner rather than later. 

Beckham hasn’t played against a live NFL defense since he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in Super Bowl LVI last February. The three-time Pro Bowl selection who turned 30 years old in November reportedly completed visits with the Cowboys, New York Giants and Buffalo Bills this fall but remains a free agent. 

It was reported on Dec. 6 that the Cowboys had “concerns” that Beckham wouldn’t be cleared to play “before mid-January” at the earliest. Dallas was eliminated from the playoffs via a 19-12 loss at the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round on Jan. 22.

Beckham generated headlines when he was removed from a plane in late November, and he defended himself via Twitter regarding that incident on Jan. 12. It’s unknown if the matter will scare off any clubs this offseason. 

Beckham seemed to offer a positive update regarding his knee when he released a new workout video earlier this week that showed him running and making cuts. If nothing else, the brief clip indicates he will be ready to go for training camp later this year. 

Jones and company may want to strike before the new league year opens in March if they wish to bring Beckham to Dallas. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue reported last week that “the Rams will be right back in the mix” for Beckham but “won’t get too risky on the salary.”