Getty Images Odell Beckham Jr. of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates his touchdown.
Odell Beckham Jr. scored his second touchdown with the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, which brought out some critics of Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who could never find a connection with the mercurial pass-catcher during their time together.
Beckham caught a fade in the end zone against the Jaguars, beating his man 1-on-1 and leaping for the score — his second in two games. The other was a long 54-yard touchdown catch and run against the Packers.
Beckham’s early success with the Rams had the critics of Mayfield out on Sunday.
Another commenter wrote: “Odell Beckham’s touchdown proved how trash Baker Mayfield really is.”
Odell Beckham’s touchdown proved how trash Baker Mayfield really is. #odellbeckham #JAXvsLAR #Browns #NFL #NFLTwitter
Beckham acknowledged his resurgence with his touchdown celebration, pulling off a self revive, a reference to Call of Duty.
Beckham was rarely 100% during his time with the Browns, collecting just 1,586 yards on 114 catches with seven touchdowns in 28 games.
Beckham Ended Rough Browns Tenure on Bad Note
Beckham’s stay of nearly three seasons with the Browns did not end well, with a video from his dad criticizing Mayfield serving as the catalyst to his eventual release. After not being dealt at the trade deadline, Beckham was asked to stay home from practice as his representation renegotiated his deal and release.
Beckham Sr. posted a video on the day of the NFL trade deadline showing all the times Mayfield missed on throws and didn’t see OBJ open. He also went into the comment section and further trashed Mayfield, even commenting on his contract situation.
While it appeared to be Beckham looking for a way out of Cleveland, he said it wasn’t an orchestrated move to get released. Sideline reporter Lisa Salters said on the ESPN Monday Night Football broadcast that Beckham thought every aspect of the departure from Cleveland was “crazy.”
Here’s what OBJ told ESPN’s Lisa Salters about his release from Cleveland. Said it was “crazy” and never his intention and that it “stinks”
“He told me he didn’t really want to talk about what happened in Cleveland and what led to his release there, but he did say every detail of it was crazy to him,” Salters said. “He said, ‘I don’t have words for it, it stinks, it was never intended,’ and he said he never could’ve envisioned any of it.
Mayfield Wished Beckham the Best After Release
Getty ImagesBrowns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. with quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Beckham and Mayfield tried to make it work, putting in work to build their chemistry on the field. While they became tight off the field as friends, their connection on it never transpired. Mayfield said he was surprised by the comments from Beckham’s father.
“Deliberately not throwing the ball to an extremely talented player that I’ve put in a lot of work with? It’s an opinionated statement, I’ll say,” Mayfield told reporters. “I’ve had conversations with his dad before, man-to-man, face-to-face. And I was pretty surprised by the video and the intentions and the feelings behind it. I would be lying if I said otherwise.”
Mayfield has never been scared to speak his mind and cause controversy. But the fourth-year QB took the high road with Beckham.
“I wish him well, I really do. My feelings haven’t changed,” Mayfield said, two days after the team announced it would release Beckham. “From a personal standpoint, he’s a good friend of mine. … But I’m worried about the guys in our locker room. I’m proud of these guys, how they were able to focus up despite all the bulls–t that was going on this week and how they were able to do their job. We’re going to see if we can build on it and continue to get better.”
The Browns return from the bye week with a matchup against the Ravens next Sunday, which represents another chance for the team to gain ground in the AFC North.