Getty Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
The Cleveland Browns are rolling along in training camp, but Monday’s session did not include Odell Beckham Jr. on the practice field. When the team emerged at the start of the day, Beckham was nowhere to be found, leading to some curiosity as to what was going on with the star wide receiver.
Fortunately, it appears there’s nothing overly-concerning, but that Beckham is dealing with an illness. As Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported, he was at the Browns facility but remained inside.
#Browns Odell Beckham Jr not practicing because of illness, team says
As Cabot goes on to point out, Beckham did take part in the Browns’ Orange and Brown Scrimmage on Saturday. Per the same report, multiple players were given the day off and watched practice from the sidelines in their jerseys, but Beckham remained inside.
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Odell Beckham Jr.’s Excitement Over Browns Offense
Considering the absence of Beckham at Monday’s practice doesn’t appear to be serious, the focus will remain on the obvious excitement he’s shown since landing with Cleveland. After the Browns acquired the 26-year-old from the New York Giants, it’s been nothing but rave reviews of teammates and the fanbase from the talented wideout.
While a decent portion of Beckham’s praise has gone in the direction of quarterback Baker Mayfield, his recent comments about the team’s offense are certainly noteworthy. As Heavy.com’s J.R. De Groote revealed, Beckham spoke about how “scary” the group can be this NFL season.
“Everything great comes with patience and takes time. We are still developing,” Beckham said after training camp practice on Friday. “Once we get on the same page, I just feel like it’s gonna be scary.”
It’s hard to argue with Beckham’s outlook, especially considering how well Mayfield played as a rookie. The Browns also have talented second-year running back Nick Chubb in the backfield with Kareem Hunt, who’ll miss the first eight games of the season due to suspension.
The Odell Beckham Jr.-Jarvis Landry Pairing
Among the many storylines surrounding the Browns, there may be none more interesting than the reunion of Beckham with former college teammate Jarvis Landry. The two players impressed while with the LSU Tigers, and the fact they’ll share the field in 2019 has created one of the NFL’s most talented pass-catching duos in Cleveland.
The hype around the Beckham-Landry pairing even led to former Dallas Cowboys star Michael Irvin comparing them to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on ESPN’s ‘First Take.’
“They were boys prior to this union,” Irvin said. “You know basketball. The fact that it worked so well with the boys down in Miami with LeBron and D-Wade is because they were boys before that union.”
Not surprisingly, analyst Stephen A. Smith didn’t take kindly to this comparison and fired back quickly.
“That is disrespectful. Don’t you dare compare Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.” Smith stated.
Putting the various opinions aside, Beckham and Landry provide a level of upside and playmaking ability together which will be a headache all season for opposing defenses.
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