The Browns’ standoff with receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has entered its second day, with Beckham “excused” from practice and away from the team.
But according to USA TODAY Sports’ Josina Anderson, Beckham is waiting and willing to rejoin Cleveland whenever he’s told to do so.
That’s part of what makes this situation different than what’s happening with quarterback Deshaun Watson in Houston — Watson welcomes the opportunity to be placed on paid leave. Beckham wants to play.
As for his current teammates, left guard Joel Bitonio said in his Thursday press conference that he thinks Beckham would be welcomed back into the Browns’ facility.
“We think he’s a great player when he’s on the field, but we don’t know what the situation is. We probably know as much as you guys know,” Bitonio said, via Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal. “But if he wants to come back and be part of the team, I’m sure we’d welcome him with open arms.”
Bitonio added that Cleveland’s players really don’t know much about what’s going on between Beckham and Cleveland’s front office.
“We’re trying to go 1-0 this week, so it’s kind of a need-to-know basis,” Bitonio said. “I don’t think the guys in the locker room need to know exactly what’s going on, I think they’re still trying to figure it out.”
Beckham has been a total non-factor in Cleveland’s offense since returning from a torn ACL. He’s caught 17 passes for 232 yards in six games. He’s also taken a pair of carries for 14 yards with a touchdown.
He had only one target in Cleveland’s 15-10 loss to Pittsburgh, making the catch for 6 yards. He also had another pass thrown to him that was wiped off the stat sheet due to a roughing the passer penalty.
Because Beckham forced Cleveland’s hand at the trading deadline, the Browns have little leverage in the situation to prevent Beckham from going to a competitor if he clears waivers. So, they’ll have to figure out whether they would like Beckham on the roster or if cutting him provides enough addition by subtraction that it won’t matter where he goes.