Browns reportedly excuse Odell Beckham Jr. from second straight practice
The Odell Beckham Jr. experience in Cleveland appears to be nearing its eventual end, but it's not quite there yet. According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the Cleveland Browns excused OBJ from practice on Thursday.
#Browns WR Odell Beckham will be excused from practice again today, source says. We'll see where this goes but talks continue.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 4, 2021
This would be the second straight practice Beckham has missed after he was reportedly told to stay home from practice on Wednesday. According to NFL reporter Michael Silver, head coach Kevin Stefanski has told his players that Beckham essentially wasn't on the team right now.
Earlier today, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski told his players that Odell Beckham Jr. is essentially not on the team right now and that the WR has been told to stay at home.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) November 3, 2021
Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reported that Beckham's agents initially requested a trade by Tuesday's deadline, but that was unlikely from the start. According to Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson, there was virtually no market for him due to his last few seasons of injuries and lack of production, as well as the remaining salary he's owed. When no trade materialized, Beckham's agents started working on a resolution with the team, but that resolution appears to be some version of putting OBJ on a plane out of town.
But sources told cleveland.com that he probably won’t be in a Browns uniform again, and that the two sides are primarily working through the exit plan, whether that’s a release, a release with a settlement, or keeping him on the roster in some form.
The movement to #FreeOBJ from the Browns really picked up steam over the past few days and has massively complicated his relationship with the team. Following his dismal performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, his father, Odell Beckham Sr., reposted a video on Instagram that apparently showed quarterback Baker Mayfield either choosing not to throw to Beckham or missing him with inaccurate throws. Browns fan and Cleveland native LeBron James also tweeted in support of OBJ.
Mayfield spoke to the media on Wednesday about OBJ's current standing with the Browns, and said that if he comes back, Mayfield's willing to put his "ego and pride aside" and work through their issues so the team can win. But that's only if he comes back. At this point, it's looking less and less likely that will happen.