For Cleveland Browns, Odell Beckham was more Uncle Rico than star WR

The Cleveland Browns plan to release wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who has caused a whirlwind of speculation ever since his dad re-posted a video highlighting how often Baker Mayfield misses opportunities to his son.

The report comes from Yahoo’s Charles Robinson, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting the Browns are covering his base salary into his signing bonus to lower his cap numbers. It’s estimated Beckham has about $7 million remaining on a contract that pays him $15 million this season.

So, the saga that was OBJ comes to an unceremonious end. He goes the way of Andre Rison, a star receiver who fizzled in Cleveland.

He was supposed to be the offensive piece to put Cleveland’s offense over the top, however, his presence in town only created questions, like, “Why can’t Mayfield get him the ball?” and “Why is Baker forcing him the ball?”

Remember, way back when in 2019, when he drove that Rolls Royce to Training Camp and the hood ornament was of him, making a one-handed catch? Exciting times that seem ions ago. Unfortunately, the moment summed up Beckham’s 2 1/2 seasons wearing an orange helmet.

All flash. Something to look at. Not much else for the team’s paying customers.

That moment foreshadowed that Beckham was more Uncle Rico–re-living his past glory  throwing a “football over those mountains” than anything he was going to do with his new team.

The reputation he built in New York always made him bigger than he was with the Browns, a disappointment few could have ever predicted. We wrote about him. We talked about him. We never got tired of either.

The Browns social media team couldn’t hit their channels without posting a Beckham one-handed grab against hair in slow-mo. This got old, fast, when the receiver started dropping balls, especially those that went for first downs.

That suns it up, though: Beckham was always more of a name with Cleveland, as the production was few and far between.

Beckham truly impacted two games with Cleveland. In Week 2 of the 2019 season, also known as “The Watch” game, Beckham made one of those marvelous one-handed sideline grabs, while then taking a slant over 75 yards for a TD.

In 2020, he had his best game against the Cowboys in Dallas, producing three touchdowns. One came on an end around. Another came from from a throwing Jarvins Landry. The third was a four-yard pass from Mayfield.

Injuries were part of the problem for Beckham in Cleveland. Last year, a knee injury shut him down for the season. He revealed this season that he plays in constant shoulder pain.

Earlier in the preseason, Beckham wore a shirt featuring another disgruntled wideout, Andre Rison. It was an ominous look that told us how this would end.