CLEVELAND — Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will play his first game with the Cleveland Browns in the 2019 regular-season opener against the Tennessee Titans at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on Sunday, but those who share the practice field him already have seen the type of talent he brings to the offense.
Beckham Jr. is set to make a reported $17 million in 2019 and an average of $15 million over the final four years of his contract if the Browns do not opt of the deal, and to his teammates, it is money well spent for the organization.
“The same that it looks to y’all,” safety Damarious Randall said after Wednesday’s practice. “Worth every penny. Definitely.”
Running back Nick Chubb added, “He’s as good as advertised, I’ll tell you that. Never seen anything like it. His footwork’s so smooth. He can make huge plays and he does it so easy. One-hand catches come natural to him. I’m excited to watch, too.”
To Randall, who is the last line of defense when a receiver gets behind a cornerback, Beckham Jr. is a much more well-rounded player than he gets credit for outside of the building.
“His run after catch is like really the most impressive stuff I’ve seen about him,” Randall said. “How quick he is, how elusive he is. I think he’s faster than what a lot of people give him credit for.”
Chubb added, “I don’t take it for granted at all. Every day is a blessing to come and play for the Cleveland Browns with all the talent we have. We can say that, but we’ve got to make it count. We can’t just come in here and take it for granted.”
Over 59 regular-season games, including 56 starts, in five years with the New York Giants, Beckham Jr. turned 622 targets into 390 receptions for 5,476 yards and 44 touchdowns. Beckham Jr. averaged 92.8 yards per game, including a league-best 108.8 during the 2014 season.
Beckham Jr. has put four 1,000-yard and three double-digit touchdown seasons on his resume since being selected with a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Louisiana State University.
Beckham Jr. posted a 77-catch, 1,052-yard, six-touchdown season for the Giants in 2018.
“I always pride myself on being an accurate guy, but knowing that’s kind of a security blanket, if I do make a mistake, if it’s not on target as much as I would like, he’s going to make it right,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. Just knowing what he can do to affect a defense, it helps us as an offense as a whole, but knowing I have that threat at all times is great.”
“I think that he’s excited to get back to football. He’s feeling healthy. He’s ready to go. I’d say just talking to him, and knowing who he is, he’s very excited to get back on the field with a fresh start. I wouldn’t say that it has anything to do with the outside. He’s ready to do it for himself.”