Odell Beckham Jr. released by Browns: Timeline of OBJ's 3 tough years in Cleveland
The Odell Beckham Jr. saga with the Cleveland Browns is officially over. The disgruntled receiver has secured his release from the team in what was an ugly and preventable split.
He leaves after not making much of an impact in Cleveland. Beckham has been relatively quiet on the field since arriving in 2019 and a look back at his time in town proves just that.
Browns are releasing WR Odell Beckham Jr. (via @RapSheet) https://t.co/z6Cw6MAroc
A Timeline of Odell Beckham Jr.'s time with the Browns
2019
Beckham's best year in Cleveland was his first. The team as a whole was a disaster under Freddie Kitchens, but OBJ managed to finish with 1,035 yards and four touchdowns.
Yet there were still problems, most notably his lack of touchdowns. He also had 74 receptions on 133 targets. The warning signs were there and only got worse under a new offense.
2020
2020 was a bit of a wash for Beckham because he only appeared in seven games before suffering a season-ending injury. But in those games, he only had 319 yards on 23 receptions.
Just when he started to heat up, he was out with his injury. So once again, the hype train was put on hold and the focus was on 2021.
As for the team as a whole, they nearly reached the AFC Championship Game without Beckham.
2021
Week 9 is just arriving and the Browns have taken a huge financial hit by cutting Beckham. That tells one all they need to know about his year.
OBJ has played in six games this season and most recently had one catch for six yards in a divisional showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That is entirely unacceptable for a team's "assumed" number one receiver.
He also had zero touchdowns and his top highlight from the Steelers game was not making an attempt on a pass near the end zone.
Today is Odell Beckham Jr.’s 29th birthday.
What's next for OBJ?
His 2021 season is all about figuring out who is to blame. Even if he is not at fault, this is not typically how successful teams are run.
That led to both sides coming to the conclusion that a split was the best option.
There is not much of a Beckham legacy in Cleveland. He made very few highlight plays and was still living off the hype from his time in New York.
He is now hoping to prove that a different quarterback throwing him the ball will solve all his problems. Regardless, the Browns are moving forward and not much should be immediately different given his ineffectiveness over the past three seasons.