Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. wasn’t happy with not receiving an adequate number of targets during his team’s loss to Denver.
Just like that, through eight games of the 2019 campaign, the mostly new-look Cleveland Browns have some serious issues.
And, just like that, they include wideout Odell Beckham Jr.
It was, indeed, a risk when the Browns traded for him. He’s not exactly the quietest receiver, as everyone saw when he was a member of the New York Giants. From claiming football wasn’t “fun anymore” to the “white substance” video, to the kicking net fiasco, Beckham was pretty controversial.
Now, in a different city with a different quarterback, he’s still making headlines. After the loss to the Broncos on Sunday, OBJ complained about his lack of targets.
.@NFLonCBS sideline reporter @jayfeely says Odell on way to sideline said “I can’t get the ball to save my life” after that 4th down. #Browns
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) November 4, 2019
Interestingly, in Beckham fashion, he also claimed to not remember saying the quote in question.
“I don’t recall saying that,” the ex-Giant told reporters, per Cleveland.com.
Through the first eight games, Odell has just four red-zone targets. Will this become an even larger issue as the season progresses? Unfortunately, we can’t tell the future. But what we can tell is that Beckham and quarterback Baker Mayfield aren’t exactly soft-spoken and will need to resolve this on-field issue.
Simply speaking, the Browns need to get the ball into the hands of their playmaker more than they’ve had. It’s contributed to just two wins through the first half of the season
Beckham has 39 receptions with 575 yards and a touchdown up to this point. His one score and 71.9 receiving yards-per-game are career-lows through eight games of a regular season.
The Browns sit at third place in the AFC North division ahead of their Week 10 home game against the Buffalo Bills.
