Latest Bills coaching hire could be early sign for Odell Beckham Jr.
By Scott Rogust
The Buffalo Bills are hiring a veteran wide receiver coach who has a close relationship with free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
The Buffalo Bills are heading into another offseason without a Super Bowl title to their credit. The team fell well short of their goal, as they were eliminated in the Divisional Round by the Cincinnati Bengals.
One area of concern is the wide receiver position, specifically those ranked behind Stefon Diggs on the depth chart. Could the Bills be hinting at an upcoming move to improve the position?
According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the Bills are hiring Adam Henry to be their new wide receivers coach. Henry had been a wide receivers coach at many locations, most notably at LSU and most recently at Indiana.
But as NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport points out, Henry is close with a certain free agent wide receiver, and that is Odell Beckham Jr.
Bills hire Adam Henry, who is close with Odell Beckham Jr., as new WRs coach
Henry was the LSU wide receivers coach from 2012 until 2014, and he coached Beckham for two seasons (2012-13). He later reunited with Beckham in 2016 to become the wide receivers coach for the New York Giants for two seasons. After joining the Cleveland Browns as wide receivers coach in 2018, the team made the trade for Beckham in 2019.
So, does Henry’s hiring mean that the Bills are definitely going to sign Beckham this offseason? That’s not necessarily a given.
When Beckham went on his free agency tour in the middle of this past season, the Bills were one of his stops. The other teams in the running were the Dallas Cowboys and the Giants. Ultimately, Beckham didn’t sign on with any team for a second-half push, as teams reportedly didn’t think he’d be ready to contribute in the season, as he recovered from a torn ACL suffered in Super Bowl 56.
Beckham is arguably the biggest name on the wide receiver free agency market, so it will be interesting to see which team will sign him. Based off the Bills’ hire of Henry, the team is being linked to Beckham once again.