Odell Beckham Jr. Tears ACL
Cleveland Browns' wide receiver, Odell Beckham Jr., tore his ACL on Sunday during the Browns game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The injury came on Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield's first throw of the game. After Mayfield under threw Beckham Jr. on a "go" route in man coverage, Bengals DB Darius Phillips intercepted the pass and OBJ injured his knee while attempting to tackle Phillips. After starting the game 0/5 with one interception, Mayfield pulled himself together. He ended up throwing just one more incompletion in the entire game to go along with five touchdowns. With Beckham out, other receivers had to step up against the Bengals. Donavon Peoples-Jones stepped up to the plate and caught the game winning touchdown with just 11 seconds left in the ball game. The Browns ended up winning the football game, but lost one of their best players.
With Beckham Jr. going down, younger receivers will have to step up in the Browns' offense and make names for themselves. Players like Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins, and Harrison Bryant are names that you should get familiar with. Veterans such as Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper will also have to step up and make more plays down field for the Browns. Head Coach, Kevin Stefanski, will most likely utilize heavier personnel sets and lean on the running game without OBJ in the mix. With running back Nick Chubb getting healthy and Kareem Hunt playing like his old self, the Browns will be more of a run first team without Beckham Jr. The Browns shouldn't expect one of their young receivers to replace Beckham, but they could find a rotation to fill the void. Peoples-Jones was a star receiver at Michigan and showed his talents against the Bengals on Sunday. The Browns will miss OBJ, but hopefully a young player can step up and take on a bigger role in this offense.
This could potentially be the last time we see Beckham Jr. in a Cleveland Browns' uniform. Despite signing a 5-year contract extension before the 2019 season, it seems like there is always some type of trade drama revolving around Beckham's name. These could just be rumors, but a few teams that have been involved are both the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings. Another potential connection could be in Carolina where he would play under former LSU offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Beckham Jr. didn't play under Brady in college, but the LSU connection is there. The Browns would have to trade Beckham because he is still under contract, but any team would be happy to have him.
