The drama between star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and his Cleveland Browns continues to take some ugly turns.
OBJ was excused from practice for the second consecutive day after his father made news on social media by posting a video blasting Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. Said post came mere hours ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline and led to suggestions that the three-time Pro Bowler might be moved.
With that as the backdrop, some Browns players spoke anonymously about the situation. One went as far as to blast Beckham in the most obvious of ways.
“He does nothing. He talks to no one. He’s just got a malcontent attitude,” the player told NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo on Thursday.
Others weren’t even as kind when talking about Odell Beckham Jr. with another NFL Media personality in that of Aditi Kinkhabwala. In fact, there was talk that if OBJ wants to actually return to the team, he should probably reach out to Mayfield while telling his father to delete the social media post and asking LeBron James (yes, that one) to tone down his rhetoric. This report is something else.
As noted in the report, there’s no “team Baker” or “team Odell.” The Browns are unified in their support of the struggling quarterback over his combative teammates.
Where do Odell Beckham Jr. and the Cleveland Browns go from here?
In the same manner, these Browns players did indicate that they would welcome OBJ back to the mix. However, it just doesn’t seem all too likely right now.
As Sportsnaut reported earlier on Thursday, the Browns don’t expect Beckham Jr. to return to the team at any point this season. Whether that means he’s released remains to be seen. Cleveland would save $30 million in cap room over the next two seasons should it make that decision.
Related: Top landing spots for Odell Beckham Jr.
There’s a few different layers to that. The Browns might not want to risk Beckham Jr. signing with a division rival by releasing him. The star pass-catcher would likely pass through waivers given his cap hit, meaning he’d be free to sign with any team.
On the other hand, Cleveland simply can’t keep OBJ away from practice or place him on a reserve list without an injury being the name of the game. Despite catching just one pass for six yards in last week’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, he appears to be healthy.
