Last year, when the Cleveland Browns pulled off the blockbuster trade for wideout Odell Beckham Jr., fans instantly dreamed of endless highlight reel catches, offensive fireworks and postseason football. What they got last season was, well, the opposite of that.
Sure, there were a few jaw-dropping grabs on Beckham’s part. Still, they were few and far between, replaced with a surprising drop in production.
This was partly due to a core muscle injury Beckham suffered during training camp last summer, one which wasn’t addressed until this past offseason. While the injury sapped a bit of his abilities in 2019, new coach Kevin Stefanski has confirmed Beckham is back to full strength.
“Odell is free and clear. He is 100 percent,” Stefanski told local media during a conference call last week. “He is looking really good.”
This is obviously great news. However, it hardly guarantees a bounce-back season from Beckham in the months ahead.
A healthy Beckham is one thing, but if the Browns are going to make the most of this acquisition, they’ll need to utilize him far better than what we saw in 2019.
Casey Drottar is a Cleveland Indians writer for Sports Illustrated. Subscribe to his podcast, or follow him on Twitter and Facebook