Cleveland Browns: What can we expect from Odell Beckham Jr. in 2019?

One of the most prolific wide receivers of this generation is on a new team, the Cleveland Browns, who have a new coach and new expectations. What can we expect from Odell Beckham Jr. this season?

A number of the most intriguing players in the NFL switched teams this offseason. For one reason or another, these stars find themselves in new homes for the 2019 season. Each has a story behind their move, and all have question marks surrounding their future.

Odell Beckham Jr. moved from the New York Giants to the Cleveland Browns this offseason. The reason for the move was out of Beckham’s hands. He was dealt away by New York for vague locker room-improvement reasons, mixed with cap savings, sprinkled with a rebuild/reorganization toward a running-focused offense. The bottom line is the Giants’ front office didn’t want him around anymore, and Cleveland was happy to oblige.

What can we expect out of Odell Beckham Jr. this season?

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate Odell Beckham Jr. in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

OBJ was previously among the very best wide receivers and play-makers in the entire NFL. He was arguably the number one guy in that regard. Thanks to minor injuries, a terrible offense around him, and a declining quarterback, New York didn’t always take advantage of everything Beckham had to offer. There is no telling what he will be able to accomplish in Cleveland.

On the one hand, we should temper expectations. Wide receiver specifically is a position that takes newcomers a long time to acclimate to an offense. Mid-season wide receiver trades almost always fail (with Amari Cooper being the exception that proves the rule, I suppose). That is because the new receiver doesn’t know the offense and the playbook. But more importantly, he doesn’t yet have a rapport with his quarterback, which is paramount to excelling in the NFL.

Is one offseason long enough to acclimate Beckham to the Browns offense and to new quarterback Baker Mayfield? It’s hard to say, especially with Beckham skipping voluntary workouts this summer. He will certainly know the offense by Week 1, but will Mayfield be able to anticipate OBJ’s breaks and where he likes the ball? Only time will tell.

He also goes from the big fish (the only fish) in the Giants’ pass catchers corps to one of the group that includes Pro Bowler Jarvis Landry and up-and-comer David Njoku in Cleveland. Will that eat into his expected targets? Is Landry still the Browns’ lead dog? How will each’s personality mesh? We know they have a previous relationship from LSU, but that is no guarantee of a fun time if one isn’t getting the touches he feels he deserves.

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But the other side of this coin is all positive in Beckham’s direction. While the Giants front office thought he was a head case, his old teammates seemed to all love him and thought he was a positive force in the locker room. He made waves off the field, but it was always for “caring too much.” He got angry and went wild in the name of giving the game his all. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and it will surely be seen more positively anywhere outside of New York.

And then there’s the small factor of him moving from a potentially washed-up quarterback to one of the premier young passers in the sport. Mayfield loves to sling the ball around. How can this not be an improvement for Beckham’s standing?

What ends up happening, I believe, is a split. Beckham becomes a better overall player but puts up worse stats, at least in the first year. Integrating him into a full-fledged offense means he will lose targets and touches and production. However, he can blow the roof off of defenses, opening up everything underneath for Landry and company. He can turn Mayfield into a Pro Bowl player and perhaps help the Browns bound into the postseason.

As hard as it is to believe, he may also fly a bit under the radar, at least until he realizes that is what’s happening.

Dan Salem:

Cleveland presents a bit of an enigma, because the Browns have been so bad for so long, yet currently play in a division ripe for the taking. Beckham was the best player on a bad football team, as well as the best player on a Super Bowl winner. Both of those teams were the Giants and both had Eli Manning at quarterback. He is great and greatness just doesn’t disappear. That being said, I can’t help but agree that we must temper expectations.

Despite his shortcomings in recent seasons, we always knew what to expect from Manning. We could count on him to get the ball to Beckham, and it was only when the offensive line fell to pieces that Manning to Beckham began to deteriorate. OBJ’s impact on the field took a major hit along with it, even if his numbers remained high.

The differences with Mayfield are unclear to me. Three-quarters of a season does not make a player great or consistent. Teams did not have much, if any, tape on Mayfield last year. Everyone was underestimating the Browns as a team. All of that changes in 2019, throwing Beckham’s impact into question.

If Mayfield is an average quarterback, where does that leave OBJ? If teams are gunning for Cleveland, rather than overlooking them, how does that shift the team’s offense? Don’t forget, the Browns have a rookie head coach. There are so many unknowns right now in Cleveland, compounded with extraordinarily high expectations, making for an awkward transition for Odell Beckham Jr.

I believe Beckham will receive more single coverage than ever before. Landry will open things up for him. What I don’t yet know is how good the Browns’ running game will be, or Mayfield. It’s likely that Cleveland rides a roller coaster this season, ultimately finding itself in the playoff conversation. Beckham probably won’t make many headlines, and will certainly improve his team. I’m just not sure the numbers will be there early on, let alone by Thanksgiving.

If we grade a player by stats, this might be a down year. But Beckham’s impact on the offense in Cleveland and on opposing defenses will be quite positive. That, alone, spells success.