Odell Beckham Jr.’s first season in Cleveland was a crazy whirlwind. Traded by surprise from the Giants in March of 2019, the talented wideout battled through learning a new offense with a new QB, a coaching staff that flopped, and Beckham did all that battling a painful core muscle injury that slowed him and required surgery after the season ended.
Now Beckham enters Year 2 in Cleveland with a healthy body and a fresher mind. Beckham has talked about how much better he feels in various interviews, but there’s always a necessary grain of salt with anything the mercurial Beckham says.
Instead, it’s better to trust those around him. And those folks see a new and improved Beckham embracing being in Cleveland.
Longtime friend, college teammate and fellow Pro Bowl wide receiver Jarvis Landry notes the difference in Beckham.
“He’s continuing to grow each and every day, each and every week,” Landry said in a Zoom session on Friday. “That’s something that being here and being around the guys over time that gives you. You begin to get comfortable. You begin to be where your feet are. I think that he’s really making this place home and accepting that. That’s something that, I know for me personally, I’m happy that he’s here and hopefully can continue to be here for the rest of his career.”
Browns owner Dee Haslam noted much the same in her Zoom session with the media around Sunday’s practice. Haslam spent a few minutes during the practice chatting with Beckham and felt very good about it.
“I had a great conversation with him today,’’ Dee Haslam said “[He’s] excited to be back in his house, and that has made a big difference to him. We did an exercise with the team Friday night: the four H’s, which is your history, heartbreak, heroes and hopes. Odell texted me and told me that he really related to a lot of the stuff. We had a great conversation about that.”
Haslam continued,
“I just feel like he’s just so much more comfortable here, and he said that. He says ‘I’m in my home. I’m more comfortable.’ I think it was a transition, but I think he’s doing really well and love the fact that he’s talking about how happy he is to be here and how comfortable he is. I think it is a great improvement so we’re really excited that he feels that way.”
Beckham has looked great through the first two days of camp, making some highlight-reel catches and enthusiastically attacking every rep.