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Browns “excuse” Odell Beckham from practice again

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The Browns are in checkmate. They just don’t realize it yet.

When it comes to dealing with receiver Odell Beckham, Jr., there’s nothing to negotiate. Nothing to discuss. With a trade not an option, their choices are to let him return to work, to suspend him without pay for conduct detrimental to the team, or to release him.

They’re trying to carve out another approach, “excusing” him from team activities while figuring out what to do. Per multiple reports, he’s “excused” again on Thursday. Even if he wants to practice.

Basically, they’re suspending him with pay. Starting with the 2006 CBA, teams lost the ability to do this. If he fights it, he’ll win. They can’t keep him out of the facility, or off the practice field.

They could, in theory, suspend him without pay for four weeks for conduct detrimental to the team and force him to file a grievance. At the end of the day, Beckham would get his money after prevailing. In the interim, the Browns would delay his arrival with a new team.

But that would be a horrible look for the Browns, exacerbating the distraction while also sending a bad message to current and future players about the way the Browns do business. Look at the Steelers. As coach Mike Tomlin has said many times (and most recently this week), it’s better to have volunteers than hostages. If Beckham wants out, let him go. While that can become a dangerous precedent, the broader goal should be to create an environment that makes players want to be there. The Browns failed to make Beckham wants to be there.

The Browns are better off without Beckham. Beckham is better off with the Browns. Although the Browns may not want to see Beckham end up with the Chiefs or the Bills or the Ravens or the Steelers, the best play is to let him go. The only play is to let him go.

The fact that, as coach Kevin Stefanski said on Wednesday, G.M. Andrew Berry is talking to Beckham’s representatives suggests that there’s something to talk about. There isn’t. They can welcome him back, suspend him without pay, or cut him. That’s it. And the sooner they make the decision to move on, the better off they will be.

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Browns Will Likely Move On From WR Odell Beckham Jr.

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It sounds like Odell Beckham Jr. is trying to force his way out of Cleveland, and the Browns wideout may get his wish. A source told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that Beckham’s stint with the Browns has likely come to an end, and the only question is how the organization will let go of the veteran receiver.

[RELATED: Saints, Browns Discussed Odell Beckham Jr. Trade]

Beckham’s contract is the main complication surrounding a divorce. The wideout is still owed $8MM this season, and there’s a limited number of teams with the required cap space to claim the player off waivers. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that Beckham could also “claim termination pay,” ensuring he’ll receive the rest of his money. If Beckham isn’t claimed on waivers, this means the Browns would be left with a significant chunk of dead cap.

The Browns considered moving Beckham at the deadline, discussing a trade with the Saints. Ultimately, the team held on to the receiver, but that was before the player’s father took to social media to criticize Baker Mayfield and the quarterback’s inability to click with his top receiver. Then, LeBron James chimed in, seemingly urging the Browns to trade his friend before the deadline. One day later, Beckham is still in Cleveland, though he’s absent from practice with a “personal matter”. For what it’s worth, Mayfield said earlier today that he’d welcome a conversation with Beckham and would prefer the receiver sticks with the team.

Beckham, 29 on Friday, has four 1,000+ yard seasons to his credit, but has yet to approach his gaudy 2015 and 2016 numbers with the Giants. Following a 2020 campaign where OBJ was limited to only 319 receiving yards in seven games, the veteran has collected 232 receiving yards in six games this season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.



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Odell Beckham Jr., Browns have deteriorating relationship

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The Odell Beckham Jr. era in Cleveland appears to have reached an impasse.

One day after his father posted an Instagram video and several comments that appeared to disparage quarterback Baker Mayfield — followed by a “#FreeOBJ” tweet from Beckham’s friend, LeBron James — the Browns wideout won’t practice Wednesday. A source familiar with situation told Yahoo Sports that Beckham’s absence was team-related, but declined to say if Beckham is now seeking his release following Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. This development comes after the Browns were open to trade calls for Beckham but reached no deals. 

Entering the deadline, multiple teams told Yahoo Sports that Beckham had little to no market, outside of the Browns accepting a fire-sale option of a late-round draft pick while also agreeing to pay the majority of the receiver’s $8 million in remaining salary.

All of that was before Beckham’s father posted an Instagram video of Mayfield failing to pass the ball to his son during games this season, followed by responses in the comment section that appeared to feature Beckham Sr. blaming the quarterback for his son’s struggles. That video and the ensuing comments, followed by James’ tweet, coincidentally came before a trade deadline when the Browns were expecting to work the phones to make and solicit trade offers. Nothing materialized with Beckham by the deadline, aside from an avalanche of stories surrounding the video posting and a continuing debate about why he is struggling in the offense.

Will Odell Beckham Jr. play another game for the Browns this season? (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Should Beckham’s absence Wednesday represent an irreparable crossroads between himself and the franchise, the Browns have essentially three options on the table. 

  • They can attempt to mend fences with a private meeting to clear the air over whatever issues are lingering, including the video and comments posted by Beckham Sr.

  • Cleveland could choose a far less-palatable option of deactivating Beckham but keep him on the roster the remainder of the season (while also paying him), similar to what the Houston Texans are facing with Deshaun Watson.

  • The Browns could offer Beckham his outright release in exchange for some of the $8 million he’s owed for the rest of the season. This solution could be a win for both sides, giving Beckham the freedom he wants (at least into waivers) while giving Cleveland the ability to retain some salary-cap space in the process.

It’s the latest chapter in a frustrating relationship between Beckham and the Browns. It first hit the rocks in 2019, when sources close to the wideout told Yahoo Sports that Beckham felt “lost” and was trying to “redeem himself” after an unceremonious end with the New York Giants. That messy season was punctuated with Beckham telling opposing players to “come get me” after games.

He was ultimately granted a reset of sorts after that season, when the coaching staff and majority of the front office was fired — replaced by current general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski. It was hoped the fresh start would kick Beckham’s career back into gear. Instead he suffered a season-ending ACL injury after seven games, leaving him to watch as the team’s offense took flight without him. That frustration carried into this season, as the wideout struggled with a shoulder injury and to find a groove with Mayfield, totaling only 232 receiving yards and zero touchdown catches in six games. The bottom appeared to be reached in Sunday’s 15-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, with Beckham catching only one ball for six yards.

It was a troubling performance for the Browns, and it placed more of a focus on the lack of connections between Mayfield and his presumed No. 1 wideout. The result was a round of speculation coming into the trade deadline that Cleveland would pursue trading him. What couldn’t be foreseen was his father and LeBron James stepping into the fray, leading to an awkward day for the team, and as of Wednesday, a practice that will take place without Odell Beckham Jr. taking part.

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Report: Saints, Browns talked about a possible Odell Beckham Jr. deal

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The Saints don’t have, and apparently won’t have, receiver Michael Thomas. They considered having receiver Odell Beckham, Jr.

Kimberley Martin of ESPN.com reports that the Saints and Browns had discussions about a possible trade for Beckham. The two sides couldn’t work out the terms, however, given the magnitude of Beckham’s salary.

More and more teams pay a significant chunk of a player’s salary in order to facilitate a trade. It’s a sliding scale, with the compensation the player’s former team receives hinging on the financial obligation that team will retain.

And so Beckham remains with the Browns, even though yesterday’s events made it clear that he doesn’t want to be. Which means that the Browns, underachieving at 4-4, have a problem that needs to be resolved. Even if the only way to resolve it will be to release Beckham.



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Emmanuel Sanders, Chase Claypool, and Odell Beckham Jr.

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With three weeks behind us, the fantasy football season moves on with another week of interesting WR start or sit decisions. With not all matchups being created equal, here are our top fantasy football start ’em and sit ’em plays at WR for Week 4.

Week 4 Start ‘Em | Wide receivers

Which WRs have favorable matchups in Week 4 and need to be started across the board in fantasy?

Start ‘Em | Odell Beckham Jr., CLE (@ MIN)

With the Browns needing immediate help at receiver following the injury to Jarvis Landry (MCL), the return of Odell Beckham Jr. could not have come soon enough, and he was put to work right away. Beckham played on 52 snaps while leading the team in targets (9), receptions (5), and yards (77).

Cleveland is a run-first team, and it makes sense since they have two stud RBs and a tremendous offensive line. But Beckham’s volume — who does look fully recovered from his 2020 ACL tear — cannot be ignored by fantasy managers.

In Week 4, the Browns take on the Minnesota Vikings, who rank 29th in fantasy points allowed to WRs at 47.23 and lead the league in yards and touchdowns to receivers lined up out wide. Start Beckham with confidence in Week 4 in your fantasy football lineups.

Start ‘Em | Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals (vs. JAX)

Remember when there was all this talk about Ja’Marr Chase not being able to see the NFL football, and fantasy drafters started to fade him after some drops in games that didn’t mean anything? Yeah, good times. Well, in case you forgot, Chase is very good at football. There’s some hard-hitting analysis.

In three games, Chase is the WR11 in fantasy with 18.93 points per game (PPR). He has 11 receptions on 16 targets for 220 yards with 4 touchdowns, tied with Mike Williams for second-most in the NFL and only behind Cooper Kupp.

However, from an efficiency standpoint, Chase stands above them all. Of receivers who have seen 10 or more targets, Chase is No. 1 in points per target (3.56) and points per reception (5.18). 

Tee Higgins (shoulder) has already been ruled out for Thursday night’s game, leaving Chase the unquestioned WR1 in a matchup against the Jaguars, who are 21st against WRs (40.57 points) but 29th in receiving yards allowed (218).

In just his fourth career game in the NFL, don’t be surprised if Chase ends the week well inside the top 10 in fantasy scoring. He’s a must-start in Week 4.

Start ‘Em | Emmanuel Sanders, Buffalo Bills (vs. HOU)

The Buffalo Bills finally look like the team we all expected coming into 2021. And with that means fantasy points galore. It also seems that Emmanuel Sanders is taking a firm grasp of the WR3 role on the offense.

Sanders exploded in Week 3 with 5 receptions, 94 yards, and 2 scores. While both Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley saw more targets, Sanders led the team in snaps and routes run. 

Sanders is coming off a one-year stint with the New Orleans Saints, recording 61 receptions on 82 targets for 726 yards and 5 touchdowns. Throughout his career, he has been a model of consistency.

Since 2012, Sanders has recorded less than 620 yards just once (2015) with seven seasons of 720+ receiving yards. Despite playing on a career-low 52% of snaps in 14 games, Sanders ended the 2020 season as the WR41 while averaging 11.8 ppg.

Although he’s 34 years old, Sanders is showing he has tread left on his tires. The Bills take on the Houston Texans in Week 4 and are currently 17-point favorites. Fire every Bills player you can into your starting lineups in Week 4 with Sanders a sneaky WR3 option.

Start ‘Em | Corey Davis, New York Jets (vs. TEN)

Revenge Game! Everyone’s favorite overused narrative. I honestly wonder what the production rates are like for players in a revenge game? Hmm, maybe a project for another day.

Anyways, Corey Davis was back to being the top target for Zach Wilson last week, recording 5 receptions for 41 yards on 10 targets which was a 28% target share for the week. Sure, he did nothing with them, but the volume is a great sign of things to come in favorable matchups. And wouldn’t you know it, he has one again this week.

The Titans are 30th in points allowed (50.1), having surrendered 6 touchdowns in three games while averaging 226.7 yards per game. The Titans have already allowed five receivers to score at least 12 PPR points, and with Elijah Moore likely out for the game (concussion), Davis should be a target machine in Week 4. Davis is a low-end WR3 in Week 4 who can be started if you are looking for a flex fill-in.

Start ‘Em | Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears (vs. DET)

I honestly cannot believe it has come to this. I am having to convince myself that Allen freaking Robinson is a fringe starter. What is this world coming to? Apparently, head coach Matt Nagy decided to be 2021’s version of Adam Gase since Gase is now out of the NFL and is an OC for a high school team. That’s not even a joke. Okay, it kind of is, but it’s true.

The Bears’ offense is a mess. They are 31st in points (6.7 per game), last in yards (191.7), have 2 offensive touchdowns, and are an astonishing -50.24 in expected points, which is … you guessed it … dead last.

When Nagy was calling the plays last year, they were in the bottom two in virtually all offensive metrics — trading blows with, you guessed it again, Gase and the Jets. Nagy is in full send mode for destroying any joy at Soldier Field to the point they’re moving to Arlington to get away from this dumpster fire.

I am giving Robinson one last shot, only due to the immense skills he possesses. He is currently 35th in targets (21) with just 10 receptions and has yet to go over 35 yards receiving in a game.

The Bears take on the Lions in Week 4, and if not now, when? If Robinson and the Bears cannot get it together, Robinson might very well be in the sit ’em side of this article when we meet again in Week 5.

Week 4 Sit ‘Em | Wide receivers

After seeing the upside players at WR for Week 4, which start ’em or sit ’em decisions should fantasy football managers think twice about when setting their lineups?

Sit ‘Em | Kenny Golladay, New York Giants (@ NO)

There is something to being the guy. But when that comes because you are the only one left, it loses some of its lusters. With Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton both missing practices (hamstrings), Kenny Golladay is the last one standing.

Yet, in three games, he hasn’t exactly been productive. Golladay has seen 19 targets, recording 11 receptions for 166 yards and no touchdowns. Shepard has been far and away the top receiver despite the contract handed out to Golladay in the offseason.

The WR58 on the season, Golladay gets the pleasure of facing Marshon Lattimore, who is having an incredible season as one of the best shutdown CBs in the NFL. I would not feel comfortable starting Golladay in Week 4. Thus, he lands on the sit ’em list at WR for me in Week 4 in fantasy.

Sit ‘Em | Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers (@ GB)

The Pittsburgh Steelers are struggling. There are no two ways around it. They’re averaging just 4.9 yards per play, which is the eighth-fewest in the NFL, and are 28th in points scored (50). The OL is a mess, and Ben Roethlisberger is playing like a QB going on 40 and mulled retirement for the last two seasons. It’s difficult to have much faith, which is odd given the decades of success the franchise has seen.

The effect is also seen in the fantasy production of players like Chase Claypool, who is No. 36 in fantasy (12.77 per game) and averaging just 1.24 points per target. Roethlisberger is once again leading the NFL with the quickest time to throw (2.35) and is averaging just 4.3 completed air yards per attempt (fifth-fewest). For a player who is a deep-threat specialist, Claypool never gets a chance to impact the game.

The matchup is awful, too, as he will likely see shadow coverage from Jaire Alexander. As a whole, the Packers are sixth in points allowed to WRs at only 28.4 per game. Ideally, I would be sitting Claypool in Week 4 for fantasy.

Sit ‘Em | Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears (vs. DET)

I can make the case to start Robinson because we have years and years of examples where he is the best player on the field. However, I cannot give Mooney, who I adore, the same benefit of the doubt. He was one of my top sleepers and breakout candidates, but with how things are going, the Bears can’t even support one WR, let alone two.

After recording 11 receptions on 15 targets for 92 yards in the first two games, Mooney had just a single reception for 9 yards on 4 targets last week. 

We don’t even know who the starting QB will be in Week 4 because Nagy is going to do Nagy things. Honestly, I think I’m going to make a new verb. “Nagying.” When you really mess things up and ruin what could be a good thing. “Man, you are really nagying this whole thing.” Yeah, I like it.

I want to see Mooney succeed, and I believe better are days will come. But until he is no longer being Nagy-ied, I have to sit Mooney and find other WRs to start in fantasy for Week 4.

Sit ‘Em | Marquez Callaway, New Orleans Saints (vs. NYG)

We finally had a decent game out of Marquez Callaway. After two duds to start the season, Callaway hauled in 4 of 5 targets for 4 yards and a score to finish as the WR27 on the week (14.1 points).

But if you watched the game, Callaway did not deserve the touchdown. He bailed out Jameis Winston, who was in the middle of being sacked, and simply threw the ball up into the end zone and hoped it would find the right hands like a set of crab legs falling onto his plate at a restaurant. 

For now, Callaway is a low-volume, touchdown-dependent WR. In Week 4, he will likely see a healthy dose of Adoree’ Jackson, who I personally would stay away from in fantasy. Sit Callaway again this week.

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Would Odell Beckham have thrived if Joe Judge were his Giants coach?

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The boat trip the weekend before the playoff game in Green Bay … the interview with Lil Wayne that infuriated Pat Shurmur … the video of partying in bed with a model in Paris.

And the first red flag: The brouhaha with Josh Norman.

Three New York Giants head coaches — from Tom Coughlin to Ben McAdoo to Shurmur — could not tame the beast inside the young lion who could not fulfill his ambition to be legendary in New York.

The shame of it all is Odell Beckham Jr. might have had a puncher’s chance had Joe Judge been his head coach from the beginning.

It could be that no one, not even Vince Lombardi or Bill Parcells, could have solved the riddle of the young Beckham, whose otherworldly one-handed catch brought him fame too early and fortune after that.

As the Giants engage in joint practices with the Browns, I pose this question:

Would Beckham still be a Giant had Judge been his head coach in 2014, or 2016, or 2018?

Coughlin was two seasons removed from Super Bowl XLVI when then-general manager Jerry Reese gifted him Beckham, the playmaker he and Eli Manning craved, with the 12th pick of the NFL draft … and no one at the time was second-guessing passing on Aaron Donald, the 13th pick. Manning, of course, was also two years removed from Super Bowl XLVI and was about to enter his 11th season.

The kinder, gentler Coughlin who earned high praise for developing relationships with Giants players was, like everyone else, infatuated with a talent he hoped could help take him and his aging quarterback to a third championship. Coughlin and Manning were three seasons removed from their second championship when Beckham went WWE with Norman.

Joe Judge and Odell Beckham Jr.
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Beckham had already made his famous catch the previous November, and had become a bigger-than-life star. Coughlin opted not to remove Beckham from the Dec. 20, 2015, game against the Panthers in which the receiver and Norman tussled.

“I want him out there to win the football game,” Coughlin said.

He didn’t win the football game. And lost his chance to teach a discipline lesson to Beckham.

“He’s got to learn at some point how to deal with some things on the field,” Coughlin said. “He made some mistakes today, but I’m hoping he will recognize that and get over it.”

Parcells gave Lawrence Taylor more rope than anyone else, but there was a mutual respect there that was missing between the 69-year-old Coughlin and the 23-year-old Beckham.

Later, McAdoo was miffed at Beckham for not showing up for minicamp and Beckham was openly critical of Shurmur’s offense and of Manning.

The losing weighed on Beckham to the point at which he was more than ready to leave the bright New York stage that had illuminated his star.

From the day he was hired, it was clear Judge was the CEO that ownership had failed to land in the early years of the post-Coughlin Era.

He was not Bill Belichick II, but the Giants Way mimicked the Patriots Way in this regard: No one was above the team, and only winning mattered.

When I asked Judge on the day he was introduced as Giants head coach what it was that he would not tolerate, he said: “Anything that deters from the team’s ability to win.”

Odell Beckham Jr.
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The Quest Diagnostics Training Center now houses a football factory, a place in which working on craft and getting better each and every day is the expectation. It’s a veritable football school with coaches hired because they can teach well enough to teach the players how to make the very best peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Judge’s Parcells-like knack for getting to know what makes each and every one of his players tick has helped foster trust.

He isn’t for everyone. But the level of buy-in he has gotten from his Giants has been eye-opening.

Golden Tate screaming, “Throw me the ball!” during a Monday night loss to the Buccaneers earned him discipline from Judge, and everyone understood why.

Would Beckham have abided by any zero tolerance policy?

Would he have bought in the way the Judge Giants have bought in to We Not Me?

That’s his $90 Million Question.

Belichick, of course, is not for everyone either, and while he had more pelts on his wall back then than Judge does now, the allure of winning —even inside a rigid football factory — was enough for the likes of Randy Moss and Corey Dillon (and playing with Tom Brady didn’t hurt, either). Judge has been about establishing that kind of culture.

Beckham’s recent injury woes have given Giants GM Dave Gettleman the current edge in the controversial trade that produced Dexter Lawrence, Jabrill Peppers and Oshane Ximines.

That would change if a healthy Beckham, now three months from 29, is instrumental in helping Baker Mayfield take the Browns to their first Super Bowl.

Would he be catching slants and taking them to the house for Daniel Jones if Judge were his Giants head coach?

We’ll never know.

You be the judge.

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Dave Gettleman “happy” with how Odell Beckham trade worked out

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The Giants will be in Cleveland for a pair of joint practices with the Browns that will mark their first chance to see wide receiver Odell Beckham in person since they traded him in 2019.

Beckham missed last year’s game between the teams with a torn ACL, so there wasn’t much focus on the reunion when the Browns came to town. General Manager Dave Gettleman and co-owner John Mara were both asked about it during Tuesday press conferences, however.

The Giants picked up safety Jabrill Peppers, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, and edge rusher Oshane Ximenes in deal, which Mara said he thinks “will work out well for both sides.” Gettleman has said you need a few years to assess a deal and proclaimed himself happy with this one.

“I’m happy,” Gettleman said. “We got Dexter. Ximines has had his injury issues, but when he’s been out there, he’s shown promise. Jabrill has done a hell of a job for us, so I like that group.”

The Giants haven’t made the playoffs since dealing Beckham while Beckham had a rough first season in Cleveland and missed last year’s playoff run, so neither team has gotten an overwhelming return on the deal. Both sides will hope a change in fortunes will follow this week’s practice sessions.

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