BEREA, Ohio — Not bad for a guy who missed a lot of the offseason workouts.
From circus catches while getting both feet down in bounds to receptions in traffic over the middle of the field, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had a little bit of everything going for him on the first day of training camp at the team’s Berea headquarters.
“It’s kind of a security blanket,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said of Beckham Jr.’s abilities. “The one throw on my left, it looked like he kind of double-jumped and had another jump in the air. We talked about it in the spring. He’s just a special individual that can do things like that.
“It makes my job easy, that is for sure. Including the other weapons we have right now, the competition level is great for us. It is making those other guys show up, compete and get better, forcing each other to get better. They make my job easy.”
One catch in particular came early in the 11-on-11 portion of practice.
While running an out route against tight coverage from cornerback Terrance “Money” Mitchell, Beckham Jr. had the pass bounce both off his hands and helmet, but he stayed with the play and secured the catch with both feet down in bounds before falling to the ground.
To Beckham Jr., catches like those are what he is paid to do.
“Blessed,” Beckham Jr. said. “God gifted me some gifts. If you have a guy throwing it that puts in the right spot, to me, nothing feels like a hard catch. The hardest catches are the easiest ones, to be honest.
“A lot of receivers would say the same. When we make those harder catches, it seems like it wasn’t much, but the easy catches are the ones you really have to focus on. I’m just happy to be out there and playing football. This is the game that I love.”
Browns coach Freddie Kitchens was impressed, at times, with what he saw from Beckham Jr.
“I don’t stay even keeled,” Kitchens said. “I get excited when I see plays like that, but I get excited from everybody when I see plays and them doing what they’re supposed to do. It’s a bunch of little things right now, continuing to grow, and this is just the starting point.”
Although Mayfield felt he had a security blanket in Beckham Jr., Kitchens understands it was just the first day and improvements need to be made incrementally as the team continues preparations for the 2019 regular season.
“He looked good at times, but he’s got a long way to go, too,” Kitchens said. “This is the first day for everybody, but it was exciting to have him out there. What we’re getting right now is just the foundation for everything we’re going to do, and that group of receivers is the same way.”