Getty Images Free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
The Cleveland Browns had Odell Beckham Jr. on their radar but won’t be reuniting with the polarizing pass-catcher after their recent acquisitions.
Beckham made his rounds at the NFL owner’s meetings on Tuesday in Arizona and even shared an embrace with his former head coach Kevin Stefanski. But despite the pleasantries, the Browns are not looking to sign Beckham, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
“The Browns have maintained a great relationship with Beckham since his controversial departure in 2021, and he was on their radar as the league year opened. They were even one of a dozen teams that attended his workout in Arizona on March 10th,” Cabot wrote on March 28. “But since then, they’ve acquired two new speedy receivers in Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin, and are not actively pursuing him, a league source told cleveland.com.”
Cabot added that Beckham replied “no comment on that” when asked about a reunion with the Browns.
Questions Remain About Beckham’s Health
Again, this is just a friendly hello. #Browns happy with Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin and not pursuing Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham is one of the highest-profile free agents remaining, although there are questions about his health and contract demands. Beckham missed all of last season recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams — his second serious knee injury in two years.
However, he’s an explosive weapon when healthy and proved he could still be a valuable contributor during his time with the Rams. He caught 21 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns during the Rams’ four postseason games. Beckham added 27 catches for 305 yards and five touchdowns during eight regular season games in LA.
Beckham’s time with the Browns was tumultuous and didn’t live up to expectations. In all, Beckham managed 114 catches for 1,586 yards in 29 games in Cleveland.
But it’s clear that Beckham still has suitors. He met with the Ravens on Tuesday and also had an informal meeting with Jets head coach Robert Saleh. A report pointed to Beckham being one of the receivers Aaron Rodgers — who is expected to land with the Jets via trade — wanted the team to acquire.
Browns Feel Like There’s Work to be Done to Shape Roster
Getty ImagesCleveland Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam talks with general manager Andrew Berry.
The Browns have had a solid offseason, signing some key defensive pieces like DT Dalvin Tomlinson, pass-rusher Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and safety Juan Thornhill. And they also added some solid players on the offensive side of the ball, trading for Moore while signing Goodwin and tight end Jordan Akins — a former teammate of quarterback Deshaun Watson.
While the big-name players are mostly off the board, Browns general manager Andrew Berry believes there’s still a lot of work to be done.
“We are really, really early in terms of the transaction season,” Berry said. “Now I’ll also acknowledge that I understand that within maybe the first week, that’s probably the most player movement across the league, but even as we sit here now, there’s still a lot of work to be done and a lot of things that could happen to shape the roster. So we don’t look at it as like, okay, catch your breath right now — it’s a long time till we are playing games in September.”
The Browns could still use some additional depth on the defensive line and at linebacker. They have also been eager to add players who can contribute on their new-look special teams units.
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Browns Make Final Call on Odell Beckham Signing