Another week, another downplayed confrontation on the Cleveland Browns’ sideline.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham and coach Freddie Kitchens both downplayed Sunday’s showdown on the sideline. Since it happened right after a failed two-point conversion, there was speculation that it had to do with Beckham not getting the ball there, but both attributed it to the wide receiver venting frustration over other on-field matters.
“We were just talking,” Beckham said, via Ben Axelrod of WKYC. “The refs making calls. Basically, they were warning me that if I had one more personal foul, then I would be out of the game, which I thought was pretty stupid. I got a personal foul for a celebration I’ve done all year. It’s not like a player was in front of me or anybody was. It was very unintentional. It is what it is.”
Kitchens offered a similar, but slightly different explanation.
“I think it was something dealing with one of their guys. It wasn’t the [2-point conversion] call,” Kitchens said. “I don’t think it was a big deal. There was some frustration on how they were treating him.”
The video doesn’t really dispute anything Kitchens and Beckham are saying, so it may well be that they’re telling the truth. It’s bound to create speculation, however, especially since this is the second week in a row something like it has happened.
Odell Beckham Jr. got heated on the sidelines while talking to Freddie Kitchens in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Cleveland Browns-Baltimore Ravens game.
The Browns scored on a touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield to Beckham to make it 24-15. Cleveland then went for two, and Ricky Seals-Jones was unable to catch a pass from Mayfield for a failed conversion.
After coming back from a commercial, CBS showed Beckham throwing his helmet near the bench and getting heated. He was talking with Kitchens.
Some will read into this and think that was Beckham getting angry with Kitchens, but without audio, it would be irresponsible to say that. It’s very possible that he was just voicing frustration/venting.
Beckham also seemed to be open on an inside slant on the 2-point conversion, but Mayfield did not look his way.
This has been a frustrating season for Beckham. He’s had a down year statistically, and the team has underperformed at 6-9. There have been rumors that he wants out of Cleveland, and he’s vented during games about not getting the ball.
Odell Beckham Jr has not had a whole lot to celebrate in his first season with the Cleveland Browns, but he picked up a 15-yard penalty for something he did after making a catch on Sunday.
Beckham picked up 22 yards on a catch early in the first quarter against the Ravens, and he was run out of bounds on the Baltimore sideline. He then made some strange hand gesture at a Ravens staffer, and one of the officials threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Beckham was furious over the call, and you can understand why. We’re not even sure what he was doing, but it seemed pretty harmless.
We’ve seen Beckham get himself into trouble with end zone celebrations before in his career, but he’s only scored two touchdowns this season. He didn’t need to score to get himself flagged on Sunday.
Odell Beckham Jr said during the week that he is going to remain with the Cleveland Browns next season, but the truth is the star receiver may not have a choice.
Browns general manager John Dorsey and other members of the team’s front office made it clear to Beckham recently that they do not plan to trade him, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports. They explained to Beckham that they acquired him via trade with the intention of having him remain a part of the team’s core for several years.
The Browns sent a first-round draft pick, a third-round pick and former first-round pick Jabrill Peppers to the New York Giants for Beckham last offseason. Unless they were blown away by an offer, it makes sense that they would rather keep Beckham and try to fix their own issues. A change in scheme and potentially moving on from head coach Freddie Kitchens might be wiser moves than giving up on Beckham after one season.
Beckham has brought about much of the trade speculation on his own with the way he has reportedly acted toward opponents this season, but the potential is still there for him, Baker Mayfield and Jarvis Landry to straighten things out. It also hasn’t helped that Beckham has battled an injury all season, though he hasn’t decided if he will undergo surgery.
Beckham can still eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark with two games remaining, but he has obviously been disappointed with how the season has gone. The same can be said for a lot of his teammates. The Browns will likely explore making some significant changes this offseason, but apparently trading Beckham will not be one of them.
Odell Beckham Jr. has given his strongest signal yet that he intends to stick it out with the Cleveland Browns.
On Wednesday, Beckham joked that he’d spoken to CFL teams about playing there before stating that he wasn’t going anywhere and would stay in Cleveland.
This will not be enough to stop the weeks of speculation we’ve seen since it came out that Beckham spent the month of October asking rival teams to come get him. It is, however, something the Browns will want to hear. He still has four years left on his contract, and the Browns did not trade for him to have him as a short-term rental, even if there’s been a bit of drama as a result of his presence.
Beckham has 910 receiving yards this season, but only two touchdowns. The Browns are betting that they’ll be able to keep him and he’ll settle in for the long-term with improved numbers.
Odell Beckham Jr has apparently been pitching his services to other teams while under contract with the Browns this season, and one of Cleveland’s division rivals is apparently among the clubs he told to “come get me.”
Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported earlier this month that Beckham has told opposing players and coaches to “come get me” before and after games this season, indicating he wants to be traded. According to Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network, the Steelers were one of those teams.
The Browns and Steelers played in Week 11 and Week 13 this season, so Beckham would have made the comments fairly recently. A separate report from Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports claimed Beckham delivered that message to opponents during at least one game in October, which is when Cleveland faced the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. All three teams are Super Bowl contenders with stability at the quarterback position, so that makes sense.
Beckham apparently isn’t the only Browns player who wants out of Cleveland, and several others reportedly urged the Arizona Cardinals to trade for them when the two teams played on Sunday.
Despite what his teammates have said, Beckham does not seem happy in his first season with the Browns. He has dealt with an injury all year that Baker Mayfield says was mishandled by the team, so that could also be a factor. Whatever the case, things could get ugly in Cleveland following an extremely disappointing season.
Odell Beckham undoubtedly was hoping his first season with the Cleveland Browns would go a lot better than it has, but the star wide receiver is apparently not planning to force his way out of town when the year concludes.
Beckham has no plans to ask the Browns to trade him this offseason, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. While Beckham has privately expressed displeasure with Cleveland’s offense and is waiting to see if any changes will be made to the coaching staff or scheme, rumors of him demanding to be traded seem premature.
Beckham has been fighting through a sports hernia injury this season, but La Canfora was told that it has not limited him much physically. While surgery is an option, it is not a certainty.
A report earlier this month claimed Beckham has been telling opposing players and coaches that he wants out of Cleveland, but some of his teammates are not buying it. The Browns traded a first-round pick and then some to acquire Beckham from the New York Giants last offseason, so they probably aren’t going to be anxious to deal him.
Beckham is on pace to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark despite having a down year by his standards. However, he has just two touchdown catches and has not been on the same page with Mayfield consistently. Assuming he does remain with Cleveland, working on ways to fix that will be a priority for the team heading into 2020.
The Jets have been mentioned as a team that could explore the possibility of trading for Odell Beckham Jr this offseason if the Browns are open to it, but many have assumed the star receiver would want nothing to do with New York after the way his tenure with the Giants unfolded. Apparently that is not necessarily the case.
Beckham is not opposed to playing in New York again, SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano reports. While that does not mean the Jets are high on Beckham’s wish list, it is still somewhat surprising.
The Jets are in need of a big-play receiver to help Sam Darnold, but there would be obvious risks with acquiring Beckham. He wore out his welcome with the Giants and made headlines for the wrong reason on numerous occasions while playing in New York, and it didn’t take very long for reports to pop up about him wanting out of Cleveland.
Beckham has battled a sports hernia injury for the entire season that will require surgery, so that could be a big factor in his inconsistent play. He also has prominent teammates who believe he wants to stay with the Browns, but time will tell. Beckham has elite talent, but he needs the right fit to success. While Cleveland doesn’t seem like a good spot for him thus far, that could change.
Odell Beckham Jr has had a disappointing first season with the Cleveland Browns, and there has been a lot of talk that it could also be his last. The star wide receiver has not really addressed that directly, but one of his teammates and close friends has no problem speaking on OBJ’s behalf.
Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry told reporters on Thursday that he is confident Beckham does not want to leave Cleveland.
“I think he wants to be here. I know he wants to be here,” Landry said. “It’s not even about trying to go somewhere else. I think for him he’s been the leader. He’s a guy that comes to work every day and that’s playing through injuries and all the things you want out of a player. And inside this organization, he has a voice. He has responsibility to himself, to all of us to go out there and compete each and every Sunday. And he does that.”
While Landry could just be trying to take some heat off of his teammate, his opinion is noteworthy. He and Beckham played together at LSU before turning pro and have maintained a close relationship.
Baker Mayfield had a similar take on Beckham’s status with the Browns earlier this week, but Beckham has largely avoided the subject. His future in Cleveland first became a big story when he said he is unsure if he will be with — or want to be with — the team next season, and one report claims he has been telling opponents he wants out. The Browns would likely prefer to keep OBJ after they gave up a first-round pick and then some for him, but it remains to be seen if he will try to force the team’s hand.
Baker Mayfield spoke with the media on Wednesday and addressed Odell Beckham Jr.’s status with the Browns.
Beckham is having a poor season with Cleveland and playing through a sports hernia injury. He reportedly has told opponents to come get him. But what he’s telling opponents may be different from what he’s telling Mayfield.
Baker told reporters that he trusts Beckham and that he knows what the two talk about.
Mayfield’s comments seem to suggest the two are on good terms, or at least that Odell is telling him something different from what the rumors suggest.
The Browns made a big splash by trading for Beckham during the offseason and entered the year with plenty of hype. That all quickly came crashing down as the team struggled to start the season and has a losing record at 6-7.
