Odell Beckham Jr. and the Cleveland Browns are parting ways after the receiver indicated he no longer wanted to be part of the team.
Beckham was a three-time Pro Bowler to start his career with the New York Giants. Then he started having major injury issues and was traded to the Browns ahead of the 2019 season. In 2.5 seasons with the Browns, Odell produced just 1,586 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He arguably outproduced his entire Browns tenure during his 2015 season with the Giants.
So what was the reason Beckham wanted out? He had on-field chemistry issues with quarterback Baker Mayfield, which were made clear in a video posted by Odell’s father. Beckham Jr. likely decided he needed to play for another team, where he could showcase his skills once again and be utilized.
Part of the reason for the chemistry problems apparently had to do with Beckham running the wrong routes. A story published by ESPN’s Jake Trotter on Friday pointed to an infamous 2019 play during which Mayfield threw a key fourth-down pass to Jarvis Landry instead of Beckham. Part of the issue was that Odell had run the wrong route.
A Browns source told Trotter, “that’s how it was all year, which was frustrating.”
It’s unclear whether Beckham “freelancing” was a 2019 thing or whether it continued in 2020 and 2021. But that was enough of a problem to cause Mayfield to have problems targeting Beckham.
Beckham changing routes to get open isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, if his quarterback doesn’t know what he is doing, then it becomes a problem.
The bottom line is that Mayfield and Beckham had poor chemistry on the field despite being friendly off the field. Both players are better off not being teammates.
More must-reads: