Coming off a disappointing campaign that saw him get more attention for wearing expensive watches than making highlight catches, Odell Beckham Jr. is looking to bounce back in the 2020 NFL season, whenever it starts.
Beckham, who has been a constant subject of trade rumors since landing in Cleveland with the Browns prior to last season, will be looking to improve upon a 2019 campaign that saw him go for 1,035 receiving yards on 74 catches with just four touchdowns.
The 27-year-old, who got into hot water thanks to some questionable decisions in the LSU locker room following the National Championship Game, will need to get on the same page with Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield if he wants to get back to the form that saw him average a 96-1,374-12 receiving line during his first three seasons in the league with the New York Giants.
Now entering his seventh season in the NFL, Beckham may be healthier than he has been in years after undergoing surgery in January to address hip and groin injuries that have hampered him.
With an offensive-minded new coach in town, Kevin Stefanski, Beckham is optimistic about this season, according to a video posted to his YouTube channel this week.
“Right now what I’m trying to do is hit the reset button,” he said. “Being able to just get everything fixed. Shoulder, arms, back, everything aligned, functional, moving properly, so I can begin training to be ready for the season. I would honestly say this is probably going to be one of my best seasons. Bigger, stronger, faster — this is my time.”
And it really could be.
With Stefanski calling the shots, Beckham will be playing with some elite options around him in wide receiver Jarvis Landry, tight end Austin Hooper and running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
If Mayfield is able to deliver the ball with any sort of accuracy, defenses will not be able to solely focus on Cleveland’s No. 1 receiver and Beckham should be able to get open with more frequency than he did last year. And if the offseason surgeries have helped him regain his explosiveness, watch out.
“In 2020, Beckham will have a coach who has already committed to putting him in a position to do what he does best,” according to Bleacher Report. “And a young quarterback who has shown he can play at a high level and who is every bit as motivated as Beckham to put last year’s disappointment behind him.”
Of course, there’s always a chance things go poorly and Beckham implodes as he has at times in the past.
If that happens he, or maybe even Mayfield, could find themselves playing somewhere else in the near future.
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