Getty Odell Beckham #13 of the New York Giants scores a third quarter touchdown reception against the Chicago Bears.
The New York Giants have reportedly traded Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Giants will receiver former first-round pick Jabrill Peppers at safety, this year’s No. 17 pick and the Browns’ second third-round pick.
Beckham Jr. will sign for 5 years and $77 million. Browns general manager John Dorsey has set up a reunion with OBJ’s former LSU Tigers teammate Jarvis Landry.
There had been talks about the New York Giants considering moving Beckham since earlier in the offseason. On Tuesday in the midst of the wild NFL free agency tapering period, ESPN’s Field Yates revealed that Josina Anderson reported one AFC North team “continues to inquire” on Beckham.
According to Ben Axelrod of WKYC3, it seems the Browns may have been working this whole week to gear up for a run at Beckham. He cited a tweet from Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller which stated the “rumors coming out of Cleveland this afternoon are wild. And huge. Something’s cooking.”
Our own Jeff Smith laid out further rumblings from over the week pointing to this trade. Now, Beckham Jr. is teamed up with last year’s No. 1 draft pick and breakout star Bakey Mayfield.
Let’s take a look at what this offense looks like now:
Odell Beckham Jr.’s Fit With Browns
The immediate boost is to an already strong Cleveland receiver corps. OBJ joins Landry and Antonio Calloway, which would signal to a bevy of passing yards next season.
Landry put up 81 catches for 976 yards and 4 touchdowns. Calloway produced 43 receptions for nearly 600 yards and 5 scores in his rookie debut. Beckham Jr. adds his 5,746 receiving yards and 44 touchdowns to Mayfield’s arsenal.
Let’s look at Mayfield, who is one of the biggest reasons Cleveland went from 0-16 to 7-9 in just one season. The second-year gunslinger completed nearly 64 percent of his passes for 3,725 yards, 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. This earned him the PFWA Rookie of the Year honors. He and Calloway are already due for a year two bump.
Cleveland has also bolstered its running back corps. The Browns already possessed rookie Nick Chubb, their second-round pick out of Georgia. The former Bulldog nearly eclipsed 1,000 yards in his debut campaign, punching in 8 touchdowns as well.
He is joined by former Kansas City Chief Kareem Hunt. He will have to find his way back to the field after his indefinite suspension due to his involvement in a domestic assault. If he does return to the gridiron, he provides an excellent ground an aerial weapon for Mayfield.
The former Toledo Rocket has amassed 2,151 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, as well as 833 yards and 10 scores through the air, during his 2-year career.
Giving Mayfield a duo of Landry and Beckham, along with young tight end David Njoku could push the Browns offense to another level in 2019. It ranked No. 13 in total yardage in 2018 at 367 a game.
With 3 quality wideouts, a tight end, a receiving running back and a burgeoning ground presence, this offense shouldn’t just improve. It could challenge the Rams for the No. 1 offense in football next fall.