Former Browns teammate says Odell Beckham Jr. reunion is happening
By John Buhler
An Odell Beckham Jr. reunion could be in the cards for the Cleveland Browns this offseason.
One former Cleveland Browns teammate of his hinted that Odell Beckham Jr. could be coming back to Northeast Ohio in his NFL free agency.
Browns defensive back John Johnson III said on Instagram, “OBJ coming back. You ain’t hear it from me tho.” While it is hard to see Beckham returning to Cleveland, so much has changed since he left the Browns only a few months ago.
He won a Super Bowl as a member of the Los Angeles Rams, albeit tearing his ACL right before halftime. His fellow Angeleno football mercenary Von Miller signed a massive deal to go play for the Buffalo Bills. Most importantly, Cleveland won the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. Though Beckham can sign anywhere in the league, he will not be catching passes from Baker Mayfield.
Though Beckham has shown interest in possibly linking up with Matt Ryan on the Indianapolis Colts, recent developments in Cleveland makes the Browns a possible landing spot for him in his free agency.
Odell Beckham Jr. rumors: Is a Cleveland Browns reunion even possible?
What is important to understand is the Browns’ brass seemed to be more on-board with Beckham over Mayfield. Welcoming him back with open arms might be hard for some Browns fans to stomach, but it is clear the franchise is going in a different direction with Watson as the long-term starter and Jacoby Brissett serving as the high-quality backup and superb stop-gap in the interim.
Because Beckham is coming off another injury, it has suppressed his market to some degree. It allows teams who know him well like the Browns and Rams to potentially want to re-up with him. Beckham already knows the offense head coach Kevin Stefanski wants to run in Cleveland. There will be some variations in it with Watson coming over, but Beckham would not likely skip a beat.
Ultimately, the longer Beckham remains a free agent, the more likely he will return to the Rams or the Browns on a team-friendly deal. They know what type of player he can be. These two clubs are expected to compete once again next year. While there was no way Beckham would be going back to the Browns, again, so much has changed for that to potentially be an option for him now.
There have been crazier things to happen in the NFL than Beckham returning to the Browns.