Browns star Odell Beckham Jr. expected to be ready for Week 1

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Cleveland Browns schedule and 2021 season predictions

“Judging from Beckham’s workout posts on social media and from the reports we’re getting from the Browns, I believe he’ll be on the field for the Week 1 rematch in Kansas City on Sept. 12. Beckham is running full speed, cutting and catching passes,” Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com noted recently. “He tore the ACL last Oct. 25 and had surgery in November, which would likely put him back on the field during training camp — at least on a limited basis.”

This timeline makes sense for Odell Beckham Jr. It used to be that players who suffered a torn ACL would be lost for about a calendar year. Recently, advances in the medical field have changed this perception.

Can the Browns rely on OBJ in 2021?

This is a completely different question. With QBJ entering his age-29 season and coming off a serious knee injury, there’s no telling how he will look once he returns to the field. It also must be noted that he has yet to find a solid working relationship with Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield in two seasons together.

In seven games this past season, Beckham Jr. caught 23 passes for 319 yards. Overall, he’s posted a horrendous 55.1% catch rate in 23 games with the Browns.

It’s also important to note that Mayfield actually played better a season ago once OBJ went down to that unfortunate ACL injury.

Baker Mayfield 2020 stats

• With Odell Beckham Jr.: 63.1% completion percentage, 1,392 yards, 15 touchdowns, seven interceptions (94.5 rating)
• Without Odell Beckham Jr.: 62.5% completion percentage, 2,171 yards, 11 touchdowns, one interception (96.9 rating)

An argument can be made that Mayfield stopped forcing throws to specific targets when Beckham was sidelined. That would explain his one interception over the Browns’ final nine regular-season games. The quarterback also put up four touchdowns against one pick in two playoff games.

As for OBJ, he’s under contract with a $15.7 million cap hit for next season. No one is going to trade for this contract. It’s now up to the three-time Pro Bowl receiver to prove he’s 100% and ready to make a greater impact than we’ve seen in his first two seasons with Cleveland.