After being called up from the practice squad midway through 2018 as an undrafted rookie, Beebe played in just three of the final eight games because of hamstring issues. In 2019, he suffered torn ligaments in his right ankle in the third game, ending his season.
After being inactive for the first two games of last season, Bebe got into the final 14 and had no injury issues. He caught 20 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns, enough for Minnesota to re-sign him to a one-year, $920,000 deal.
“Last year, I think I was just trying to flip the script because of a lot of injuries in my past,’’ Beebe said. “And I stayed healthy the whole year. I feel like I gained some momentum coming into this year by staying healthy and getting a lot of game reps, so I’m excited to see how it unfolds this year.”
The 5-foot-10, 187-pound Beebe has looked good since training camp started July 28 and has a solid shot to be the third receiver behind Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. He’s a potentially good fit to join those two in three-receiver formations due to his ability to play in the slot.
“Chad is the man,” Vikings fullback C.J. Ham said Monday. “I always say, ‘One on one, he’s impossible to cover.’ He’s smart. He’s shifty, and he gets the job done, and he does it quietly. I respect Chad and love the guy to death.”
Don Beebe, an NFL receiver from 1989-97 and now head coach at Division III Aurora (Ill.) University, regularly works with his son during the offseason on football drills.
Chad also gives credit to another family member for helping him in the NFL. After the injury-riddled start to his career, he worked with his wife Mackenzie, who has expertise in nutrition, to completely change his diet.
“I’ve been doing everything I can to stay healthy, whether that’s doing things off the field that I need to do and just eating healthy,’’ he said. “I’ve been eating a lot healthier, cleaner and I think that’s helped tremendously. I’m sticking to more organics, I stay gluten free and dairy free. Before, it was just eating whatever I wanted.”
Beebe said the changes helped in 2020, when he had some good moments. His most impressive outing was in Week 12 against Carolina when, with Thielen out, he caught seven passes for 63 yards and scored a touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Kirk Cousins with 46 seconds left to secure a 28-27 win.
As far as the physical part of trying to stay healthy, Beebe has worked out in the offseason at Lakeville’s ETS Performance, Thielen co-owner Thielen, Ham and running back Alexander Mattison, among others.
“He looks great,’’ Thielen said. “He’s another guy who takes advantage of his opportunity day in and day out, shows that he can play at a high level.”
In training camp, Beebe is battling Dede Westbrook and K.J. Osborn for playing time. Westbrook, who caught 66 passes with Jacksonville in both 2018 and 2019, has the best resume of the three but has been limited while working his way back from a torn ACL suffered last October.
With Jefferson sitting out Monday’s practice with a shoulder injury that the team says is not serious, the receivers on the first team were Thielen and Osborn. Beebe came in at the slot and had some nifty catches
“It’s going to make us all better,’’ Beebe said of the competition for snaps. “In my case, it’s going to make me better, and that’s all you can ask for. I’m just going to leave it all out there. I’m a guy that, I don’t want to live with any regrets. So, I’m going to give it everything I’ve got and let the chips fall where they may.’’
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Injuries behind him, Chad Beebe aiming to become Vikings' third receiver - Pine Journal
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