BEREA, Ohio — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a previous story.
Odell Beckham Jr.'s 2021 debut has been delayed by at least another week. On Tuesday, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced that the star wide receiver won't play in the team's Week 2 matchup vs. the Houston Texans on Sunday as he continues to recover from a torn ACL.
Stefanski stressed that Beckham hadn't suffered a setback and is continuing to progress in his recovery. The three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver was inactive for Cleveland's 33-29 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 after entering the contest listed as "questionable" on the Browns' injury report.
Beckham's early-season absence comes as the result of the torn ACL that cost him the final seven regular-season games and two postseason contests of Cleveland's 2020 season. Through his first 23 games with the Browns since being acquired in a trade with the New York Giants in 2019, the LSU product has tallied 97 receptions for 1,354 yards and seven touchdowns, including 23 receptions for 319 yards and four total touchdowns (three receiving, one rushing) in seven games in 2020.
Speaking to reporters at his youth football camp in July, Beckham spoke of his lofty expectations for the Browns entering the 2021 campaign.
"There's just something that feels special about this team," Beckham said. "Cleveland needs a championship, and I think that's the goal, that's the mentality in that building, and that's what I want to be a part of."