After Being Released From Cleveland, Beckham Signs With the Los Angeles Rams.

Odell Beckham Jr, the receiver that is immortalized for an unforgettable one-handed catch on Sunday Night Football back in 2014, signed with the Los Angeles Rams after being released from the Cleveland Browns in an attempt to rejuvenate his career after three disappointing seasons with the Browns. According to ESPN, Beckham said he “wanted to join a playoff contender after being released”, which led him to signing with the Rams, who were then 7-2. 

The Cleveland Browns officially released Beckham on Nov 8, after his father, Odell Beckham Sr, posted an 11-minute video on Instagram, showing times Browns quarterback, Baker Mayfield, either missed a wide open Beckham Jr. The video was posted two days after a 15-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where Beckham Jr. posted a career-low six receiving yards for a whole game.

In an online statement on the Browns’ website three days after Beckham Srs’ Instagram post, Browns general manager Andrew Berry announced that the team plans to release Beckham. “After careful consideration, internal discussions and conversations with Odell and his representation, we’ve determined that it is in the best interest of all parties involved that Odell no longer play for the Cleveland Browns. We appreciate all his efforts and contributions while in Cleveland, but we’ve reached a point where it is best we move forward as a team without Odell. We are finalizing the process of granting Odell his release and we wish him well as he continues his career.”

Beckham was officially released from the team the Monday after, sitting out the Browns win over the Cincinnati Bengals. 

According to Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network, Berry said Beckham never really fit in the Browns’ offensive scheme. “It is a culmination of multiple things, the point here is Odell Beckham Jr. and Baker Mayfield never really seemed to have a strong connection… This is because in a rhythm and timing offense, which is what the Browns run, Beckham Jr. was never really in the right spot. He is a freelancer… and Mayfield just couldn’t trust that he would be there when he needed him to be there.”

On Nov 11, Beckham agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Rams, to boost an offense led by quarterback Matthew Stafford. This signing took place on the same day that Rams wide receiver Robert Woods suffered a season-ending ACL tear during practice, according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini. Woods had a large role in the Rams offense, catching 45 passes for 556 yards in nine games. 

After Odell Beckham’s first practice with the Los Angeles Rams, he responded to how the release from Cleveland and the transition to Los Angeles felt, saying “I feel blessed to be here.”

When asked about the last 48 hours prior to practice, Beckham said “It’s been a whirlwind of emotions, sometimes things don’t work out in life, and when you take those leaps of faith it’s always scary at the moment, and you just trust God’s plan, you keep putting a step in front of the other one and just keep walking forward in faith, and things usually tend to work out.”

Beckham was later asked about how he and the team will respond to Robert Wood’s season-ending injury. “Everything felt right about coming here except that moment… I have no words for it, it was disheartening when I got the call. I don’t have many words for it, I just know that he was the heart and soul of this team, and just (I am) trying to do whatever I can to help. Those are big shoes to fill, but I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

In his first game in a Rams uniform, Odell had a quiet game in San Francisco against the 49ers. Beckham was only targeted three times throughout the game, catching two passes for 18 yards, and the other throw being overthrown and intercepted by Jimmie Ward.

The Rams ended up losing 10-31, falling to 7-3 on the season. In a postgame press conference, Beckham said the 49ers just played a better game than the Rams. “Tonight, the Niners came out and they played better than us [in] all phases of the game, and that’s really just the moral of the story. There’s no trying to find [out] what happened, they just outplayed us.”

After being asked if the bye week helps him to regroup with the offense, Beckham responded, “absolutely, I think that’s for everybody as well. Get a bye week, 10th game of the season…  It’s going to be a tough road. But these moments don’t divide you, you know, they bring you stronger and closer together, and I’m happy to be here, and just over the bye week, [I will] be able to get in the playbook, and really try and learn every single thing possible.”

After the bye week, Los Angeles will play the Packers in Green Bay on Sunday, Nov 28.