Insider thinks OBJ might play this week; KOC calls out Jauan Jennings

· Yahoo Sports

On Wednesday, the day the Vikings signed Odell Beckham Jr. to their practice squad, head coach Kevin O’Connell wasn’t ruling out the possibility of the veteran wide receiver being elevated and playing this weekend in his hometown of New Orleans.

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NFL and Vikings insider Tom Pelissero also believes that’s a real possibility.

“There’s, I think, a real chance we see Odell Beckham Jr. in uniform and playing for the Vikings this weekend against the Saints,” Pelissero said on KFAN’s Power Trip Morning Show on Thursday.

Beckham played in a similar offense with Kevin O’Connell and the Rams in 2021, so he should be able to get up to speed quickly. There’s uncertainty around the status of both Justin Jefferson (ankle) and Jordan Addison (hamstring) this week. Even if both are healthy, the Vikings haven’t gotten much of anything from Jauan Jennings or Tai Felton up to this point.

“Whether Addison plays this week or not,” Pelissero said, “and it didn’t sound like it was anything major with him … Depending if the numbers work out, Odell may not just be on the practice squad, but may be elevated and may be playing against the Saints on Sunday.”

It’ll be worth keeping a close eye on Thursday and Friday’s Vikings injury reports to see how the week is looking for both Jefferson and Addison. If either one has to miss this game, Beckham could be in line to step in and see some action.

Earlier on Thursday’s Power Trip, Vikings analyst Ben Leber summed up the questions that the Beckham signing raises.

“I’m just curious as to what the motivation is behind all of it,” Leber said. “Is it a wake-up call for the other receivers in the room to kind of get going? Do they really feel like he’s got something in the tank? … This is a team that I feel like has some issues at depth with the offensive line and running backs. So it’s a curiosity that we’re adding something to the
wide receiver room.

“Now, I already can hear the fact that, look, Justin Jefferson may or may not come back this week. Jordan Addison did not practice yesterday because of a hamstring injury. We’ll see if he can make it back. So yes, we do have some depth issues at wide receiver, but is this a short-term plan? Is this a long-term plan? If it’s a long-term plan, what’s it mean for Jauan Jennings and Tai Felton? I don’t know. There’s just a lot surrounding that thing.”

KOC calls out Jennings?

Jefferson and Addison injuries aside, the Beckham signing may be a signal that the Vikings aren’t satisfied with the play they’ve gotten from Jennings and Felton, their No. 3 and No. 4 wide receivers. The former, who had over 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns over the last two seasons with the 49ers, has just two catches for nine yards through three games. The latter caught his first pass of the season for 14 yards this past Sunday.

Asked about Jennings’ slow start on Wednesday, O’Connell was a bit more direct than usual in calling out an individual player.

“I think Jauan’s done a lot of really good things in the run game for us,” O’Connell said. “He’s had a couple (passing game) chances where maybe, either the rhythm and timing or just a little more detail showing up out of the group as a whole, Jauan included — but we’re not far off, and Jauan’s gonna be a guy that’s gonna make some plays for us.”

The two words that jump out there are “Jauan included.” Usually, O’Connell would leave it at a mention of the execution of all 11 players on offense. To imply that Jennings needs more detail in his routes is about as close to he gets to criticism of one of his players.

For what it’s worth, there are 171 NFL receivers with at least one target so far this year. Jennings, who has run 90 routes in three games, ranks 167th in PFF receiving grade. Felton (51 routes) ranks 151st. Those numbers, as much as anything, might help explain the Beckham signing.

With that said, it would be an overreaction to think that the Vikings are going to give up on Jennings after three games, especially considering his importance as a run blocker in the wake of Josh Oliver’s season-ending injury.


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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Vikings section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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