Latest On Odell Beckham Jr.
There were two major reports concerning Odell Beckham Jr. on Sunday. First, we heard that OBJ has been battling a “serious and painful” sports hernia that may require offseason surgery. Then, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, who has been tuned in to Beckham-related happenings in the past, dropped something of a bombshell when he reported that Beckham wants out of Cleveland and has told opposing players and coaches to “come get me.”
Per Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, two sources close to Beckham confirmed that Glazer’s report is accurate, at least as far as Beckham’s comments to opposing teams are concerned. Interestingly, one source said that Beckham made the comments during “at least” one game in October, and the Browns’ October schedule included games against the 49ers and Patriots, both of whom were in the market for wide receiver upgrades in advance of the trade deadline.
Beckham would have liked to play for the 49ers, and he holds San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan in high esteem and has developed a friendship with Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo. According to one source, OBJ was in disbelief when he was traded to Cleveland, especially since San Francisco had made several attempts to acquire him in 2018. While he tried to see the silver linings in the deal — the Browns were loading up for a championship run, he would have the opportunity to play alongside close friend Jarvis Landry, etc. — he was unsure about his fit with the Browns.
Robinson’s sources say Beckham is still uncertain about his fit — his relationship with the coaching staff and his role in the offense make him continue to question his place on the team — and that issue, along with his injury and the fact that he is not playing to the standard that he is capable of, have left him “lost” and looking for redemption. “Fame got to him, he made bad choices [and] now he has to redeem himself,” one source said. “And the road to redemption isn’t an easy one when you have an ego.”
As Robinson notes, there is no indication that the Browns have any intention of parting ways with Beckham, and even if they did, it’s unclear whether any team would offer the kind of package that would make GM John Dorsey trade an immensely talented receiver on a reasonable contract (the 49ers, with their tight salary-cap situation and relative lack of draft capital, no longer profile as an OBJ suitor). And if the Browns shake up their coaching staff this offseason, perhaps OBJ’s potential could be unlocked.
Current Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens, when asked on Monday about recent reports concerning Beckham, said that there has been no discussion of shutting OBJ down for the season due to his injury (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). With respect to his relationship with the star receiver, Kitchens said, “Until I hear something from Odell…mine and Odell’s relationship is fine. What I’ve seen from Odell is nothing like the reports would indicate” (Twitter link via Cabot).
Perhaps as part of his quest for redemption, Beckham did gift the entire team with Nike Air Max 720 shoes on Monday, as Cabot tweets.
Odell Beckham Jr. Reportedly Wants Out Of Cleveland
Odell Beckham Jr. has been in the news a lot this morning. We heard earlier today that the Browns wideout has been battling a hernia injury all season and may be headed for offseason surgery, and Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk) reports that OBJ wants out of Cleveland.
When he was asked about his future with the Browns several days ago, Beckham was non-committal. He said, “I couldn’t sit here and tell you whether I’m going to be here, want to be here, don’t want to be here. This is exactly where I’m at now and I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else. God has a plan. In the offseason, everything will figure itself out. I feel like I’ve been here before, answering questions about the next team when I’m on a team already. That’s just something I’m going to tune out for right now. Catch me in the offseason and we’ll see what happens.”
But Glazer says Beckham has approached opposing players and coaches before (and even during) games this season and has told them, “come get me.” And considering that Glazer was the one who said the Giants would trade Beckham when everyone within the New York organization was saying they wouldn’t, that carries some weight. Glazer said, “I don’t see that relationship ending well for [the Browns] after this year.”
Of course, trading Beckham would be a tough pill to swallow for the Browns, who gave up first- and third-round picks in the 2019 draft along with Jabrill Peppers and Kevin Zeitler to acquire the star receiver and Olivier Vernon. The fact that Beckham has had a disappointing year (by his standards, at least) and would have basically forced his way out of two organizations would obviously hurt his trade value.
Odell Beckham Jr. Will Undergo Offseason Surgery?
09:29am: ESPN’s Josina Anderson says Beckham texted her this morning and told her that he has not yet made a decision as to whether he will have surgery this offseason (Twitter link). However, he did confirm that he has been in pain since training camp.
08:30am: Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has largely disappointed during his first year in Cleveland. Although he is on pace for a 1,000-yard season, he has just two touchdowns and has caught just 55.3% of his targets, a career low. But there could be a reason for the disconnect between OBJ and quarterback Baker Mayfield.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Beckham has been playing through a serious and painful sports hernia injury that will require surgery in the offseason. The injury has not forced him to miss any game action, but it has kept him out of practice a great deal, so he and Mayfield have not had as much time to develop chemistry as they would like.
As Rapoport observes, Beckham has been on the injury report every week this season with either a hip or groin ailment. Hernias are sometimes characterized as hip or groin injuries, which adds credence to RapSheet’s report.
But as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes, the hernia injury is not the only thing keeping Beckham’s production from taking off. Her sources say the Browns’ offensive design is inherently flawed and that there is a disconnect between head coach Freddie Kitchens and offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Some believe that the team’s QBs, including third-stringer Drew Stanton, have too much influence over the game plan, and Beckham has admitted that he has had a hard time keeping his frustration in check.
Beckham did make some headlines earlier this week when he declined to definitively say that he wants to be back with the Browns in 2020. However, Rapoport (unsurprisingly) says it would be far-fetched to expect Cleveland to trade OBJ this offseason. But the club may make major changes to its coaching staff, so between that shake-up and Beckham’s surgery, perhaps Beckham can return to form next year.
Browns Activate TE David Njoku From IR
David Njoku is back. The Browns announced this morning that they’ve activated the tight end from injured reserve. To make room on the roster, the team placed cornerback Robert Jackson on injured reserve.
Njoku had been sidelined since Week 2 as he recovered from both a concussion and a broken wrist. There was always optimism that the 23-year-old would be able to return to the field once he passed the concussion protocol, and he was designated to return from the IR in late November.
Prior to this injury, Njoku had played in 34 consecutive games for the Browns since they selected him 29th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. The tight end had a breakout season in 2018, hauling in 56 receptions for 639 yards and four touchdowns. He’ll provide Baker Mayfield with another weapon, as the Browns have been relying on the likes of Demetrius Harris and Ricky Seals-Jones during Njoku’s absence.
Jackson, a rookie out of Nevada-Las Vegas, appeared in six games for the Browns this season, compiling three tackles. The defensive back had already been ruled out for this weekend’s game with an ankle injury.
Latest On Odell Beckham Jr., Browns
Closing out the worst season of his six-year career, from a per-game production standpoint, Odell Beckham Jr. did not say whether he wants to be part of the 2020 Browns. He’s under contract through 2023.
“I couldn’t sit here and tell you whether I’m going to be here, want to be here, don’t want to be here,” Beckham said, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, adding that Jarvis Landry‘s presence has energized him about being with the Browns. “This is exactly where I’m at now and I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else. God has a plan. In the offseason, everything will figure itself out. I feel like I’ve been here before, answering questions about the next team when I’m on a team already. That’s just something I’m going to tune out for right now. Catch me in the offseason and we’ll see what happens.”
Despite Beckham’s disappointing year, the Browns will surely attempt to see if their recent trade acquisition can build chemistry with Baker Mayfield and bounce back in 2020. Beckham’s contract having no more guaranteed money on it, thanks to the Giants taking that on, would make the three-time Pro Bowler an interesting trade piece — if this situation did progress to that point. Beckham is due $14MM in 2020.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/3/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor NFL moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: LB Pete Robertson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DT Justin Zimmer
- Released: DE Chris Smith
Denver Broncos
- Claimed: C Patrick Morris (from Steelers)
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: LB Jason Cabinda
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: CB Parry Nickerson
- Released: CB Breon Borders
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: WR Gehrig Dieter
Los Angeles Rams
- Promote TE Kendall Blanton
- Placed on IR: WR JoJo Natson
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed: WR Trevor Davis (from Raiders), RB Zach Zenner (from Cardinals)
- Placed on IR: RB Kalen Ballage
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: G Sua Opeta
- Released: WR Mack Hollins
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: K Chase McLaughlin
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/3/19
Today’s practice squad moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: LB Trevon Young
- Cut: DB A.J. Howard
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Nate Hall
- Released: TE Jerell Adams
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Malik Henry
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: RB Paul Perkins
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: WR Tyron Johnson
- Cut: LB Jeff Holland
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DB Xavier Crawford
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB Reshard Cliett
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DE Kevin Wilkins
- Cut: DB Chris Johnson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Chris Thompson
- Released: OT Will Holden
David Njoku Will Miss Week 13
- This will not be the week David Njoku returns to the Browns’ skill-position arsenal. The Browns did not activate their top tight end by Saturday afternoon’s deadline, so he will miss another game. With Njoku having returned to practice on Nov. 20, the Browns do not have to activate him until Dec. 10. If Njoku is not activated by then, he will spend the rest of the season on IR. The third-year tight end underwent surgery for a broken wrist during his IR stay.
- Cleveland will be without left tackle Greg Robinson as well. The oft-scrutinized former No. 2 overall pick did not practice this week and will remain in concussion protocol through Week 13. Kyle Murphy started for Robinson at left tackle when he was benched earlier this year. The Browns, however, gave the sixth-year blocker his job back soon after.
Browns To Scratch Damarious Randall Vs. Steelers
Prior to the now-infamous conclusion to this season’s first Browns-Steelers game, Damarious Randall was ejected for delivering a helmet-to-helmet hit. Although Randall was not suspended, he will join Myles Garrett in missing the Pittsburgh leg of this series.
The Browns will make Randall a healthy scratch, having departed for Pennsylvania without the starting safety, according to a team announcement. Freddie Kitchens‘ choice to leave Randall in Cleveland instead stems from an unknown incident that occurred this week, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Randall was ejected after a hit on Diontae Johnson resulted in the Steelers rookie suffering a concussion. Randall played against the Dolphins last week, doing after saying he’d received death threats because of his hit on Johnson. The former Packers defender has started 22 games since being traded to the Browns in 2018. He’s made seven starts this season, missing four games due to injury.
Cleveland has already lost its other starting safety, Morgan Burnett, for the season. The team has consistently had to play backups in the secondary this season, due to injuries and now a surprise scratch.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/27/19
Here’s Wednesday’s practice squad news:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DE Robert McCray
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DL Alex Barrett