CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns knew how much of a playmaker Odell Beckham Jr. could be when they traded for him during the offseason, but now, four games into the 2019 season, they are finding out just how he can elevate the play of his teammates, too.
Although Beckham Jr. had a quiet two-catch, 20-yard showing in a 40-25 win over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore last Sunday, two teammates in particular had very good days at the office, as wide receiver Jarvis Landry and running back Nick Chubb combined for 332 yards and three touchdowns.
“It is unbelievable what he can do,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “The vertical stretch and just the body presence on the backside of drawing two defenders. Knowing that, we have to take our shots with him when he is one on one.
“It is stuff that he can do to effect a defense that I think we did not expect until we really saw it. Now, we really know how we need to game plan, how we need to format things and try to get him the ball and get him involved. It has been a learning process, but it is definitely something that was eye-opening for me.”
Before suffering a head injury that has him in NFL Concussion Protocol, Landry turned his 10 targets into eight receptions and a single-game career high 167 yards in the Browns’ most prolific offensive showing ever in a game at Baltimore.
Landry was the game’s leading receiver and registered the longest pass play of the afternoon, a 65-yarder in the waning seconds of the second quarter that helped set up Austin Seibert’s 24-yard field goal that put the Browns up, 10-7, at halftime.
After being haunted by an unsuccessful fourth-and-nine run in a 20-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on Sunday Night Football, Chubb totaled 165 yards and three touchdowns on just 20 carries against the Ravens.
“That is the frustrating part, but that is what teams are going to do to him -- try to take him out of the game, frustrate him. If people are worried about that, they are worried about the wrong things. That is why guys like Jarvis and Chubb had a great day. They can focus on what they want. That is why I continue to say it is a mismatch game and a matchup game for us. We need to pick our poison.”
Although the Browns are happy to take what the defense gives them, they are in no way going to avoid throwing the ball to Beckham Jr., especially given what he has accomplished in just four games with the team.
Since joining the Browns, Beckham Jr. has been on the receiving end of 21 passes for 308 yards and one touchdown with four 20-yard gains, one 40-yard burst, an 89-yard touchdown in a 20-point win over the New York Jets at his old home park, MetLife Stadium, and 11 first downs.
Also, Beckham Jr. attempted a pass in last Sunday’s 40-25 win over the Baltimore Ravens and very nearly completed the 50-yard throw on a trick play to wide receiver Damion Ratley.
“We want to get him involved because we know exactly what he can do and help us out in certain ways,” Mayfield said. “Yeah, it opens up opportunities for everybody else and that is what I told some of these guys is, ‘you should be licking your chops at the opportunity to have one-on-ones.’”