Getty Joe Haden during his time with the Cleveland Browns
When Odell Beckham Jr. arrived in Cleveland this offseason, defensive backs around the AFC North saw their jobs get much hard twice a season.
Among those who will now have to deal with OBJ on a more regular basis is Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback and former Browns’ first-round pick, Joe Haden.
Haden played for the Browns from 2010-16 and was a fan favorite after being taken with the No. 7 overall pick out of Florida. He earned second-team All-Pro honors with the squad in 2013 and was a two-time Pro Bowl pick.
When asked what it will be like cover OBJ by reporters on Saturday at Jarvis Landry’s celebrity softball game in Cleveland, Haden — who is captaining one of the teams — smiled.
“I’ve worked with Odell for the last three years each offseason. We go out to LA, we’ve got the same trainer, Jamal Liggin, we go get it and have a good time,” Haden told Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. “So just him always striving to be the best he can be, him working so hard in the offseasons, and I pride myself in doing the same. So it’s friendly competition for sure, but end of the day when we line it up I’m going to hope we win and he’s going to hope they win.’’
According to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, Haden also admitted while making the media rounds that he still thinks about his old team and wishes they could have figured it out.
Ulrich later went on to expand what Haden said.
“Every year I was here, I always felt like, ‘This is going to be their year. This is going to be the year,’ no matter who the quarterback was that we had starting,” Haden told reporters before the game. “We were like, ‘He’s good enough to be a professional quarterback. He can make it happen for us.’ But s— happens. So I’m not in any way upset, but I’m like, ‘Damn, if I was there, that sure would’ve been sweet.’”
In 2017, Haden signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the Browns’ division rival just hours after being released. He said a want for team success and seeing the postseason is what drew him to the Steelers
.”I just felt like once I was free, I wanted to have a chance to be able to play in some meaningful games, you know what I’m saying?,” Haden told WKYC after signing with the Steelers. “They don’t really miss the playoffs, so I’m like, I just wanted to be a part of something where I could play in the playoffs.”
However, Haden does not harbor any harsh feelings for his former team.
“The Cleveland fans and city, they’ve always deserved a great football team,” Haden told Ulrich. “And I feel like the management with Dorsey, he’s done a great job of having the money, having the assets and going and getting it, not being afraid to make moves, not being afraid to make decisions.”
GettyCleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Browns Become Contenders With Odell Beckham Jr. Addition
Things have changed quite a bit around the Browns’ locker room since Haden was around and Cleveland has established itself as a contender for the division with a series of big-name offseason additions.
With OBJ, Olivier Vernon and Kareem Hunt coming to Cleveland in the offseason to combine forces with a young core that includes Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward and Myles Garrett, Browns fans are ready to put their paper bags away for good — something Haden couldn’t have imagined when he was around.
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Beckham has expressed his desire to bring a title to the franchise, which hasn’t made the playoffs since 2002.
“I’m beyond excited about an opportunity I have to start over,” Beckham told reporters. “Obviously the goal is always going to be the same: to hang banners.”
The Browns haven’t won the AFC North since the team re-entered the league in 1999. However, Beckham wants to change that trend as they compete with Haden’s Steelers and Lamar Jackson’s Ravens.
“Words don’t even really do it justice for me. I’m almost giddy,’’ said Beckham. “I really feel it, and I feel something in the air, something special that Cleveland hasn’t had for a while. And I’m happy to be a part of that. I hope that I can help do whatever I need to do to push that way.”
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