CLEVELAND — With Odell Beckham Jr. having been excused from practice for a second straight day, it appears the wide receiver's time as a member of the Cleveland Browns is nearing its end.
But if there's a way for Beckham to return to the Browns this season, safety John Johnson III would like to see it happen -- and he believes that most of his teammates feel the same way.
"I feel like the majority of this locker room would love to have him in this building," Johnson said of Beckham on Thursday. "Flat out."
Johnson's comments come two days after Beckham's father, Odell Beckham Sr., posted an 11-minute and 24-second long video clip of quarterback Baker Mayfield missing his son on various throws throughout the 2021 season to his verified Instagram account. The older Beckham also wasn't shy to reply to comments on his post, agreeing with criticisms of Mayfield on multiple occasions and even doubled down on the post on Thursday.
The timing of Beckham Sr.'s original post, which came hours ahead of the NFL' trade deadline, has led many to speculate that his son was trying to force his way out of Cleveland. On Wednesday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said that general manager Andrew Berry was in the process of discussing Beckham's future in Cleveland with the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver's representatives.
Asked about a report that he had told Browns players that Beckham was no longer a member of the team's roster, Stefanski said: "Today he's excused and we'll see where this goes."
But while Johnson said that the majority of Cleveland's locker room would welcome back Beckham, it remains unclear if Mayfield is one of the players. Asked if he would like the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year to return to the team, the Browns' fourth-year quarterback emphasized that his primary concern is winning.
“I would take anything to have a winning team right now," Mayfield said. "Our focus needs to be on winning. Anything like this and stuff that is created on the outside drama-wise takes away from the focus and attention to detail that we need to have, which is exactly the reasons why we have not been able to win. We have not executed well enough to be able to do that."
In the unlikely event that Beckham returns to the Browns, however, Johnson doesn't believe that Cleveland's locker room would be divided.
"I don't think it's dividing the team in any type of way," Johnson said. "I just feel like we're a hardworking bunch of guys and like I said before, if there's any way that he could get back in the building, I would be tremendously happy."