Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. returned to practice this week after beginning the season on the physically unable to perform list.
Beckham spoke with reporters Thursday, saying he was "grateful" to be back on the practice field but feels "a bit out of football shape, in a sense."
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Beckham, who signed a one-year contract with the Dolphins in May, has missed the first four games of the season while on the PUP list with a knee injury.
"I hate the feeling of walking around this building and you're hurt," he said Thursday. "I can't practice with the team, be on the field, I can't play the first four games, it's a rule, it's very simple."
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Beckham said he didn't want to start the season on the PUP list but it was the best thing for the team.
"I think a lot of people don't know exactly what I was going through," he said. "If I'm not on the PUP list I'm taking up a roster spot which means I'm taking someone else's job and I'm not doing anything, it's not really a good feeling to have so it was what was best for this team and organization and it was an easy decision for us."
The 31-year-old veteran's status for Sunday's game against the Patriots remains unknown.
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Beckham, drafted 12th overall by the New York Giants in 2014, has battled multiple injuries in recent years after bursting onto the scene as a rookie. He had had 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns with Baltimore last season before being released by the Ravens in March.
