The Cleveland Browns are hopeful for Odell Beckham Jr.’s impact on the team. With Jarvis Landry out for a few weeks and the team hoping to keep pace with the rest of the AFC, the Browns can’t afford to lose many games.
At the same time, Cleveland can’t lose Beckham by bringing him back sooner than needed. The team made a game-time decision to keep him out of Week 1’s loss to Kansas City but declared him out for Week 2 very early in that week’s preparation.
Going into Week 3, Kevin Stefanski and company continue to be cautious but have not declared Beckham out for the game against the Chicago Bears. For the first time since October, the star receiver spoke to the media. He noted that he is taking it a day at a time:
#Browns Odell Beckham Jr. said he's "taking it a day at a time" and that "we'll see" if he plays on Sunday against the Bears.
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) September 23, 2021
When asked about playing on Sunday, Beckham smiled but made the “we’ll see” statement.
Later, Alex Van Pelt spoke to the media and talked about the team’s caution with Beckham, noting they wouldn’t be giving him a full workload when he does return:
#Browns OC Alex Van Pelt on @obj: It's a long season and he’s just coming back. Definitely have to be smart with his reps. Can’t expect him to come out and have a huge day first time back, we’ve just got to ease him back into it if he does make it to the game."
— Marla Ridenour (@MRidenourABJ) September 23, 2021
Easing Beckham back in for a few games can help him get ready, much like the preseason, for the rest of the season.
While his debut seems more and more likely, Beckham is a full participant in practice. Media was able to get a few videos from him getting warmed up in individual drills in practice on Thursday:
13 back at it #browns pic.twitter.com/vBY1CY4SNh
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) September 23, 2021
Some OBJ B-roll from practice today #Browns pic.twitter.com/uGACHZAV0R
— Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) September 23, 2021
As Beckham nears the 11-month mark from his initial injury, it seems that he is likely to return in Week 3 but in a limited way. Meeting with the media is just another sign that this is likely.
