Odell Beckham Jr has been a limited participant in practice this week because of a groin injury, but the ailment is not a new one. It stems from the hip injury Beckham suffered during the preseason, and he has been battling it for more than two months now.
On Thursday, Beckham told reporters that the hip issue is something that “kind of lingers” and he has had to fight through all season.
“It just kind of lingers and you just gotta deal with it,” he said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “That’s where I’m at right now, it’s unfortunate. I wish it didn’t happen before the season, I could have been in a better place. But this is where I’m at, so.”
As Cabot notes, this is the first week since the start of the season that Beckham has missed practice time. He has appeared in every game, though his production is lacking like the rest of Cleveland’s offense. Beckham has caught 34 passes in seven games for 488 yards and just one touchdown, and he and Baker Mayfield have not shown much chemistry. That likely has a lot to do with the offensive line and play-calling, but it’s not helping that Beckham is less than 100 percent healthy.
Beckham said he does not want to make any excuses for why he and the Browns have struggled, but this is not the first time he has mentioned his health. It could be a bigger factor than he has let on.
