CLEVELAND — Nearly 11 months to the day he last played in an NFL game, Odell Beckham Jr. will officially make his return.
Just ahead of their kickoff with the Chicago Bears at FirstEnergy Stadium, the Cleveland Browns, as expected, announced that Beckham is active and will play in their Week 3 matchup. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Beckham hasn’t played in an NFL since suffering a torn ACL during the Browns’ Week 7 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 25, 2020. Altogether, the LSU product missed 13 games due to the injury, including nine regular-season games last year, two postseason games and the first two games of Cleveland’s 2021 campaign.
While the LSU product participated in the Browns’ training camp, he did so on a limited basis. After being inactive for Cleveland’s first two games this season, Beckham was “full go” in practice for the first time in the days leading up to Sunday’s matchup vs. the Bears.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Beckham discussed the challenges he’s faced in his recovery and his outlook for the 2021 season.
“We are just taking it day by day. A long time ago before the season even came out, the original plan – before even seeing the schedule – was 11 months post-op. Now I am at right around 10 and a half [months]. The progression started, and I started to progress faster and faster,” Beckham said. “Like I said, I am just following God’s plan. He put me in a good place to be here right now. Like I said, It is just a day by day process.”
The 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Beckham’s return should provide a boost to a Cleveland receiving corps that will be without Jarvis Landry for at least the next three weeks after the five-time Pro Bowl selection suffered an MCL sprain in the Browns’ Week 2 win over the Houston Texans.