CLEVELAND — Following a week of rumors, reports and innuendo, Odell Beckham Jr.'s future with the Cleveland Browns appears to be in question. But when it comes to the star wide receiver's present with the team, quarterback Baker Mayfield believes that the sports hernia injury that's been hampering his play has partly been a self-inflicted occurrence.
"It wasn't handled right," Mayfield said of Beckham's injury, which was first reported on Sunday morning, prior to the Browns' 27-19 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. "He's not able to run as well as he should be able to, as well as he knows, and that's frustrating for him. You can sense some of his frustration and where that comes from. It wasn't handled the right way in our training room. It is what it is. So his not 100 percent is still good enough to us."
Asked to elaborate on his comments regarding the Browns' handling of Beckham's injury, Mayfield seemed to imply that he believes the 3-time Pro Bowl wide receiver should have undergone surgery during training camp.
"It could have been addressed earlier on," Mayfield said. "I think looking back on it, obviously hindsight is 20-20, he probably would have missed the first two [games] -- one or two just based on when exactly it was during training camp. But it is what it is. We're here right now. It's too late to do that and he's playing through pain, so that shows you what type of guy he is."
Despite appearing in all of the Browns' first 13 games, Beckham is currently on pace for one of the least productive seasons of his six-year NFL career. After tallying just two catches for 39 yards vs. the Bengals on Sunday, the 27-year-old has now recorded 59 receptions for 844 yards and 2 touchdowns with just three games remaining in the season.
Beckham's lack of production -- and now Mayfield's comments regarding his injury -- have manifested themselves in the form of rumblings regarding his future in Cleveland. Days after the LSU product offered a vague assessment of the situation, Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported that Beckham has been telling opposing players and coaches throughout the season that he'd like to leave the Browns.
"I'm not going to talk about any offseason stuff that's going on right now," Beckham said after the game when asked about the report. "The focus is on winning, 1-0. And that's what we did today. Any other questions about it, I'm not answering."
But following his own quarterback's comments, the questions regarding Beckham's injury and future with the Browns don't figure to be disappearing anytime soon.