Getty Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Chris Harris Jr. left no question about what assignment he wants when his Denver Broncos matchup on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
The four-time Pro Bowler wants a best-on-best matchup with Browns star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. — and he wants to shut him down.
When asked if he had a preference in covering Jarvis Landry or Odell Beckham Jr. during the game, Harris responded with bewilderment.
“I want Beckham. What do you mean?” Harris said. “He’s the best receiver on their team. Landry, he has a lot of catches and he’s been great in this league. No disrespect to him. I’ve had great battles with him too, but in their offense [Beckham] is their big-play guy.”
The full exchange, when Broncos CB Chris Harris was asked if he wants to cover Jarvis Landry or Odell Beckham on Sunday.
Broncos head coach Vic Fangio also gave some props to the Browns pass-catching pair.
“Landry is obviously one of the best slots in the league. He always has been since he got in the league. He runs really good routes, has a great feel and a knack for getting open and peeling coverages and when to break and when not to break,” Fangio said. “Beckham has always been an explosive player. He has tremendous speed, and hands and great route running ability. He is a threat after the catch to take it to the house. He is a good runner after the catch as evidenced by his past exploits as a punt returner. He is also a passer. They throw him something or and give him a reverse, you have to be ready for him to throw a pass. He is very multi-talented and they are really a good combo.”
Odell Beckham Wants to Test NFL’s Top Corners
GettyBrowns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham isn’t having the year that was expected when he was traded to Cleveland in a blockbuster deal in the offseason. Through seven games, Beckham has 34 catches for 488 yards and just 1 touchdown.
Beckham actually asked for more work following Cleveland’s 27-13 loss to the Patriots last week, saying he wished that the play-calling would have allowed him to test Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore a little more often.
“I think he’s All-Pro and I think he’s everything,” Beckham told reporters. “I just felt like we didn’t challenge as much as we could have. I think we kind of shied away from it. I was expecting and looking forward to it, but that wasn’t the case today.”
When asked about Beckham’s comments, Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens didn’t want to talk about it.
“Odell had seven balls thrown to him. He caught five of them,” the first-year skipper said. “I am not responding to that. We need to win a football game. That is what I am worried about.”
Browns Injury Report: Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry Banged Up
Both Landry and Beckham were limited during the Browns last two practices, but head coach Freddie Kitchens sounded confident that they’d play when asked about it on Thursday during his media availability.
“They looked good today. Even though it is a [Thursday], sometimes it takes your body a little bit of time to recover and different people react differently,” Kitchens said. “We try to take care of our guys from the standpoint of making sure they are healthy when they go out, but there are certain reps that they need to get and they have done a good job of that…They got the reps they needed.”
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