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Free-agent WR Odell Beckham Jr. targeting mid-November return to the field

Odell Beckham Jr. has been everywhere.

He was at the Saints-Buccaneers game on Sept. 18 to visit his buddy Jarvis Landry, among others. This past week, he was at the Giants facility to visit friend Sterling Shepard to give him advice on ACL rehab.

Where his tour takes him this week is anyone's guess. Beckham's visibility has made him the most talked-about free agent in the NFL. But it hasn't sped up his timeline in his recovery from the ACL he tore during Super Bowl LVI.

Sources say the former Rams star WR is targeting the middle of November for his return to the field, meaning an imminent signing would be a major surprise. Any team could lock Beckham up now and take him through the final stages of rehab, but a later signing is far more likely.

It also sets up a situation in which Beckham could trigger a feeding frenzy in November as the only top player at his position available at a time when the Nov. 1 trade deadline will long have passed. In other words, for the second year in a row, Beckham will have his late-season suitors.

Last year, he agreed to terms with the Rams on Nov. 11, spending a few weeks being acclimated before catching fire in the playoffs. He had nine catches for 113 yards in the NFC title game against the 49ers and had two catches for 52 yards and one TD before tearing his ACL again in the Super Bowl against the Bengals.

As for where he is now, Beckham has been cleared for all non-contact work, a source says. And his knee is much healthier than it was when he signed with L.A.

If Beckham is on a team mid-November, that's nine months from the clean ACL tear he suffered in February. As for potential suitors, figure any playoff-contending team with a receiver need, including the Rams -- who still have Beckham's nameplate and locker up and ready.

The Bucs, Packers, Bills and Chiefs have all been discussed as possible suitors for Beckham, though how much money the wide receiver warrants on a multi-year deal could rule out some of the possibilities.

Unlike last year, when Beckham was free after a frustrating stint in Cleveland, he appears more in line with players such as Chris Godwin and Michael Gallup, who received large contracts despite recovering from ACL tears.

Meanwhile, his old friend, Bills linebacker Von Miller, appeared on Richard Sherman's podcast earlier this week and hinted that he knows where Beckham will land.

"The way I like to think," Miller said, "I think when it's time to start chopping the block, I think when it's time to get down the business, we already know where he's going to be at. In my eyes, I think I know where he's going to be at."

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