Cleveland Browns fans have been anxiously awaiting the return of Odell Beckham Jr. after uncertainty surrounding his health to open the season.
The star receiver tore his ACL near the midway point of the 2020 season and the team decided to be cautious with his return,
That was the smart move and it appears Beckham is back at full strength given the fact he has been removed from the injury report.
#Browns announced this game status update:
Chris Hubbard – out
Sione Takitaki – out
JC Tretter – questionable
Jed Wills – questionableSo the team is acknowledging publicly Odell Beckham Jr. is expected to play Sunday vs. #Bears
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) September 24, 2021
This is fantastic news and should mean we see his return Sunday at home against the Chicago Bears.
Perfect Timing
The Browns just lost Jarvis Landry to an injury at the beginning of Week 2’s game against the Houston Texans.
Getting Beckham back was a priority as fans saw the Cleveland offense struggle without its top two receivers.
Running the ball more could help, but Kevin Stefanski has still only used Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt sparingly to start the year.
Beckham is a legitimate number one receiver and brings more explosiveness to the offense compared to Landry.
The question now is how his knee will hold up after being out for nearly a year.
Faith is now put in the team’s training staff, and in Beckham’s judgement, in terms of returning at the right time.
A Different Offense
The Browns offense can be a totally different unit with Beckham on the field.
#Browns Myles Garrett said Odell Beckham Jr. looked at him Monday and said "It's time."
Garrett's reaction?
"I just rubbed my hands together."
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) September 24, 2021
He can blow past defenders down the field and make what seem to be impossible catches at will.
While a rookie like Anthony Schwartz may drop a sideline pass, Beckham can be trusted to hold onto the ball and do what it takes to make any play.
It has been hard to get a fair gauge on Beckham’s time in Cleveland because the team was a mess with Freddie Kitchens as head coach when the receiver arrived in 2019.
Yet he still went for over 1,000 yards.
He was finally starting to piece together some nice performances in Stefanski’s offense last year, just to go down with a season-ending injury.
2021 provides a fresh start on what is perhaps the best Browns team since the late 1980s.
Beckham is not only returning, but is doing so as the clear number one receiver.
The pressure is there and that is why he is getting paid so much money.
His initial test is against a Bears defense that got torched by Matthew Stafford in Week 1.
They improved in Week 2 against Cincinnati, but the Bengals are a tier or two below the Browns in terms of talent.
Beckham can get back to being “OBJ” this Sunday with a great performance.
NEXT: Browns Awaiting Official Word On Jarvis Landry Injury