3 reasons why the Browns are better off without Odell Beckham Jr.
The Cleveland Browns have finally let Odell Beckham Jr. go. All the talk is about how losing Odell Beckham Jr. is a massive loss to the Cleveland Browns and how he will improve any team that he goes to.
The #Browns and WR Odell Beckham signed their settlement to finalize his release & send him to waivers on Monday, sources say. The agreement grants Beckham the release he wanted while allowing CLE cash & cap savings if he goes unclaimed. A mutual ending to his tenure in Cleveland
But this ignores the brutal truth that the Cleveland Browns offense was misfiring with Odell Beckham Jr. in it. In many ways, the Cleveland Browns are better off without Odell Beckham Jr. and we enumerate them below.
3 reasons the Cleveland Browns are better off without Odell Beckham Jr.
#1 - History provides us with clues
Last season, there was concerted pushback from Cleveland Browns players, including Baker Mayfield, that they were a better team without Odell Beckham Jr. Amid all the righteous indignation, it is often overlooked how well the Cleveland Browns were without Odell Beckham Jr.
From 2019 to 2020, when Odell Beckham Jr. played in a game, the Cleveland Browns went 11-12 and averaged 21.65 points per game. When he did not play, the Browns went 8-5 and averaged 25.62 points per game.
#2 - Developing a run-based offense
Odell Beckham Jr. did not fit the Cleveland Browns offense at all. It is borne out by the numbers given above.
The Browns depend more on their run game than any other team.
This season, they have rushed for 1,289 yards in 8 games at 161.1 yards per game. They lead the NFL in both total offense and yards per game.
The Indianapolis Colts are second on the list in total rushing yards despite having played one more game than the Browns. Kareem Hunt, Nick Chubb and D'Ernest Johnson are arguably the best trio of running backs in the league and Cleveland should be looking to use them more.
D’Ernest Johnson became the 3rd @Browns RB to have 100+ scrimmage yards in a game this season, joining Nick Chubb & Kareem Hunt. The Browns are the only team to have 3 RBs with 100+ scrimmage yards in a game in 2021.
5 teams have yet to have 1 RB do so in a game this season.
#3 - We may have already seen the best of Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. has seen a downward trend every season he has in the NFL in yards per game except one. His best season in terms of yards per game was his rookie season, when he had 108.8 yards per game.
Since then, except 2018 when there was a slight increase from 2017, in every season his output has decreased.
To put it into perspective, his yards per game in his Giants career was 92.8 with a completion rate of 62.7%. With the Browns, it was 54.7 yards per game and a 54.3% completion percentage.
It shows that there is a good chance that Odell Beckham Jr. is already past his best years. The other option is that the Cleveland Browns offense was holding him back, in which case it was a win-win situation for both the player and team as both will seem to improve their offense in each other's absence.