EAGAN, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings added free agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to their practice squad Wednesday, and coach Kevin O'Connell did not rule out the possibility that he will play Sunday at the New Orleans Saints.
The Vikings' top two receivers, Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, are nursing injuries, and No. 3 receiver Jauan Jennings has caught only two passes on four targets in his first season with the team. Jefferson (ankle) was scheduled to participate in practice Wednesday on a limited basis for the first time in two weeks, but Addison (hamstring) was expected to sit out.
Beckham would provide depth alongside two second-year receivers, Tai Felton and Myles Price, who have been alternating in the Nos. 4 and 5 roles.
Speaking Wednesday to reporters in Minnesota, O'Connell recalled how Beckham appeared in a game three days after signing with the Los Angeles Rams during the 2021 season. O'Connell was the Rams' offensive coordinator at the time.
"I've seen him do it before," O'Connell said. "The good thing about our system is we've got some mechanisms that either he can quickly learn and know those are absolutes if we need to go that route in the game, if he were to be elevated."
Beckham said that O'Connell reached out to him personally to gauge his interest in signing.
"It seemed as if he wanted me to be here and that was expressed to me," Beckham said. "And that feels good when you're playing a sport like this where you're laying your livelihood on the line. It always feels better when you're doing it for somebody who you feel like their heart is there for it as well. So that was really kind of it."
In Minnesota, Beckham is now teammates with Jefferson, whose older brothers played at LSU during Beckham's time there. Beckham joked that he chose No. 9 in Minnesota because Jefferson, who wears No. 18, "because Justin got half his game from me."
Jefferson could not hide his glee about Beckham's arrival.
"Just all of the years that I've watched him play," he said, "and looked up to his game and his play style on and off the field, how he carried himself as a superstar in the league and just managing it. We've been brothers for a very, very long time. The connection has always been there. We've always kind of talked about this moment and one day being able to play with each other, but for it to actually be here, it's definitely crazy."
The Vikings have started 4-0 despite an offense that has ranked among the NFL's worst. Jefferson suffered a sprained left ankle in Week 3 and missed Week 4, and his availability for Sunday's game in New Orleans has yet to be determined. O'Connell said he believed Addison's hamstring injury is minor and that he would return to practice later this week.
Jennings, who signed with the Vikings in May after spending the first five seasons of his career with the San Francisco 49ers, missed one game for personal reasons and has largely been an afterthought in their passing game.
"I think Jauan's done a lot of really good things [blocking] in the run game for us," O'Connell said. "He's had a couple chances [in the passing game] where maybe either the rhythm and timing or just a little more detail showing up out of the group as a whole, Jauan included, [would have helped]. But we're not far off, and Jauan's going to be a guy that's going to make some plays for us."
Beckham, 33, played 19 snaps in three games with the New York Giants and did not record a catch before he was released last week. Before returning this season, he had played his first five seasons with the franchise after being selected with the No. 12 pick in 2014. Beckham was hoping to resuscitate his career after not playing in the NFL since the 2024 season, when he caught just nine passes for 54 yards with the Miami Dolphins.
Beckham has also played for the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. He has 575 catches for 7,987 yards with 59 touchdowns in his career.