Odell Beckham Jr. is officially back — on the Cleveland Browns injury report with a new ailment.
Beckham made his season debut in Week 3 against the Bears, returning to the field after almost a full year away due to a torn ACL. However, a shoulder issue is now affecting Beckham, with the star pass-catcher being listed as limited for Wednesday’s practice.
Beckham talked about his shoulder “popping out” during his postgame press conference after beating the Bears.
“First hit came on a pass that I did not catch, and my shoulder popped out. I was like, alright of course something like that would happen,” Beckham told reporters. “It was good to feel that and get back into it. The game went on, and it was a little bit smoother.”
Beckham ended up catching five passes for 77 yards, leading the Browns. All of that would have come after the shoulder injury, so it can’t be that serious.
“Football stuff. Shoulder pops out; put it back in. Keep playing. It is like a boxer whose legs you cannot get underneath you,” Beckham said, expanding on his shoulder issue. “You do not have the same balance. It is not a lack of exposure or anything like that. It is just that first game back energy and emotions running through you. I just could not get my legs going.”
Practice Reps Valuable for Beckham, Browns
Practice reps are a valuable commodity for Beckham and quarterback Baker Mayfield as they look to keep building their chemistry. Mayfield spoke to the media on Wednesday, September 29 and it didn’t sound like Beckham’s shoulder would be throwing a wrench in any of their plans for the week.
“ I think he knows exactly how he has to be prepared throughout the week, but that is something that is only going to come with those game reps,” Mayfield said. “I think he is going to push himself during practice this week, as well, and get ready to go as best as he can.”
For Beckham, his goal is to get his legs under him and hopefully gobble up even more reps, targets and catches with Jarvis Landry out for at least the next two weeks. That being said, Beckham is glad he got the first one out of the way.
“I came out and tried not to go crazy in warmup or anything. Just get my legs underneath me. I got to the game, and I swear I just felt like each play I could not get them underneath me,” Beckham said. “A lot of things to look at the film and improve on and that is all we can do.”
Kevin Stefanski Preparing for Minnesota Homecoming
This week is a big one for the Browns, with head coach Kevin Stefanski leading Cleveland into Minnesota, where he spent nearly two decades before getting his head coaching shot.
“I would tell you it is obviously a special place. I had a great time there and was treated great by the organization from the ownership to the coaches and staff. Really have good friends there,” Stefanski told reporters on Wednesday, September 29. “With that being said, it is a really big game and they are a good team so that has our full attention.”
The Vikings picked up their first win last week against the Seahawks. The Browns have a chance to move to 3-1 as they look to keep pace in a competitive AFC North division. Cleveland is a two-point road favorite for the matchup, per Odds Shark.
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Browns WR Odell Beckham Limited by New Injury