Cleveland Browns: 3 consequences Odell Beckham injury has on Browns’ future

1. Baker Theory

Baker Mayfield set rookie record for passing touchdowns in a season back in 2018 before Odell Beckham Jr. put on an orange helmet.

The trade that brought OBJ to town was only supposed to lift Mayfield’s stats even higher, alas, the Dawg Pound is still waiting for the results that once seemed like a slam dunk when John Dorsey pulled the trigger on the trade that brought Beckham to Cleveland in early 2019.

Every pundit and fan had an opinion as to why the offense was faltering. Was it Freddie Kitchens? Was Mayfield trying to force the ball to his superstar wideout? Was OBJ just a gray cloud hanging over the roster?

Nobody wanted to see OBJ go out like this. The NFL is better when its superstars are healthy and suiting up. But now, the theory of whether Mayfield is better without Beckham will be tested.

Early results from the experiment came back gangbusters in Cincinnati, as Mayfield completed touchdown passes to four different receivers, with three scoring throws going to tight ends.

Baker looked like the record setter of 2018, who was spreading the ball around to the open receiver. That was a season in which no one accused the former Heisman winner of forcing the ball to anyone.

For those who wanted to see Baker without OBJ, the caveat was always, (in an Al Pacino voice) “Be careful, what you wish for.” A nine game sample size awaits.