What happened after Odell Beckham Jr. got injured won’t help silence the constant trade rumors around the star receiver.
The Browns’ emergence and playoff run happened without star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who suffered a season-ending knee injury on Oct. 25 in Cincinnati.
While Beckham’s talent isn’t debatable, there’s no denying quarterback Baker Mayfield played his best when Beckham wasn’t around. His $12.8 million salary for next season becomes guaranteed in March, so it may be tough for Cleveland to trade Beckham while he’s rehabbing.
For now, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski made it sound like he wants OBJ in his offense in 2021.
“I’m excited to get him back here,” Stefanski said. “I know it was not easy for him being away from his teammates, especially as these games got bigger and into the playoffs. I know he definitely wanted to be a part of it.”
Beckham was injured chasing down an interception on the second play of the Browns’ Week 7 win over the Bengals. Mayfield, in leading Cleveland to the AFC Divisional Round where it lost to the Chiefs on Sunday, would only throw one more interception the rest of the season compared to 20 touchdowns.
Beckham had 23 catches on 43 targets for 319 yards and three touchdowns in six games this season.
“Honestly, our focus with Odell, Odell is one of the best receivers in the NFL,” Browns GM Andrew Berry said in early November. “He played really good football for us before he was injured. He’s done a fantastic job with his teammates at practice, he’s embraced the organization, he’s under contract for multiple years.
“So our focus with Odell is making sure he recovers from the ACL tear. We want him to be healthy and ready to go next year. But we’re pleased with him.”
— With AP
