Are Browns making a mistake by releasing Odell Beckham Jr.?
The Cleveland Browns and Odell Beckham Jr. have now parted ways. The two sides negotiated the receiver's release, ending what once seemed like a promising match for a rising organization.
Most NFL fans know the story by now. Beckham's father released a video the day of the trade deadline showing all the times Baker Mayfield had missed his son when he was wide open. The ploy did not work as the Browns did not trade Beckham.
Sources: The #Browns are releasing star WR Odell Beckham Jr., as the two sides came together on a resolution to end his Cleveland tenure. At long last, he’s out and he’ll head to waivers.
But the situation reached a point of no return and Beckham is headed for waivers. Is the organization making a huge mistake?
Browns and Beckham didn't mesh well together
Beckham showed up for the 2019 season when the Browns offense was a bit of a disaster under Freddie Kitchens. Yet he managed to gain over 1,000 yards with Mayfield throwing him the ball.
Then came an injury-shortened 2020 season. That seemed to mask real problems as his season ended with only 319 yards in six games.
2021 is when the wheels fell off. Beckham has 232 yards and zero touchdowns in six games this season. The latest performance was the most shocking of all as he finished with one catch for six yards.
That is not what the Browns were expecting out of the presumed number one guy on the outside.
Statement from Browns’ GM Andrew Berry on the pending release of Odell Beckham Jr. once the contract is finalized: https://t.co/lEVNaISd7w
This was enough of a sample size to see major problems with Beckham in the offense. That was true even before the video was dropped on Tuesday.
Who should receive most of the blame for the OBJ-Browns divorce?
It is tough to say the organization is making a huge mistake. Beckham has been there since 2019 and clearly did not fit in with the offense.
That may not even be his fault, but the reality of the situation remains the same. Some will blame Mayfield and others will blame head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Releasing Beckham now allows the team to move on from the distraction of him not being at practice and also allows him to continue his career elsewhere.
The financial situation is the tricky part, but the release itself seems like the most logical move. The Browns have Super Bowl expectations and need to keep the focus solely on winning games.
The unfortunate part here is how the situation ended. Perhaps a video is what it took for both sides to fully realize a break was needed.