Cleveland Browns: Studs and duds in Week 3 thrashing of Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns Stud: Odell Beckham Jr.’s return

The loss of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to injury in the 2020 season was a big hit to the Cleveland Browns offense. While their main focus is to run successfully, to be a truly successful team in the NFL, you have to be able to throw the ball.

Not having OBJ and his ability to make big plays was a big loss for an offense that lacked skilled playmakers on the outside. That absence was felt most in the team’s playoff loss against the Kansas City Chiefs, where their inability to stretch the field resulted in a collapsed Chiefs defense that they ultimately couldn’t get past.

With Jarvis Landry on the IR, and him slated to miss at least three games, it was important for OBJ to come back and provide a spark for the Browns on the outside. On Sunday against the Bears, he did just that, snagging five catches for 77 yards. While none of those catches were exactly exceptional, it was more the fact the Beckham looked healthy and back to his old self in his return from the surgery on his torn ACL.

While in previous seasons, Baker Mayfield and OBJ always struggled to get on the same page, it was clear that those struggles appear to be behind them. Beckham will be a key piece to the Browns success and will continue to be their best receiver on the outside as long as he remains healthy. Any struggles between him and Mayfield are well behind them, as clearly seen in Sunday’s performance.