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20 of 32 quarterbacks can have a Hall Of Fame career with a guy like OBJ to throw the ball too, sadly, Baker is not one of them and it is time to face facts. It is not working.
OBJ had a bad first season in 2019 with the Cleveland Browns and the excuse was, “Well, Freddie Kitchens doesn’t know how to call plays, and his groin was hurting him.”
OBJ had a bad second season in Cleveland and the excuse was, “Well, it was his first year in a new system, give it time”
OBJ is having a bad third season in Cleveland and the excuse has been, “Well, he is coming off injury, give him some time.”
How much more damn time do people want and when is it enough already? OBJ is one of the most talented wideouts in the game, but it is simply not working, let’s face it already. When he is open, Baker doesn’t throw him the ball. When he does throw him the ball, it’s over his head, or behind him. When he does hit him right in the hands, he drops it.
It is not Baker Mayfield’s fault. It is not OBJ’s fault. They simply don’t work together. Chemistry is everything when it comes to a QB and his wideouts. They have NONE, and it is time to move on.
With the depth the Cleveland Browns have at receiver, combined with the no nonsense attitude of Head Coach Kevin Stefanski, the writing may be on the wall for Odell Beckham Jr. His days wearing the Orange & Brown appear to be coming to a close.
The whole notion of, “Baker Mayfield is better without him”, may seem like hyperbole, but the numbers don’t lie and it is actually quite true. In the 14 games the Browns played with Baker in the lineup in his rookie season, they went 7-7. Mayfield thew for 3725 yards and 27 touchdowns with 14 interceptions.
The following season they regressed with OBJ on the team for all 16 games with Baker, going 6-10. Mayfield threw for 3827 yards, 22 touchdowns and a whopping 21 interceptions. Many fans believed the issue was his constant pressure to feed OBJ the ball, and the lack of chemistry between them.
Last year, in 6 complete games with OBJ in the lineup, the Browns went 4-2, which is clearly good. However, with the exception of the Dallas game, how much did OBJ have to do with any of the other 3 wins? After leaving the Cincinnati game with a season ending injury, the Browns went 8-4 if you count the playoff games. Mayfield went on to play the best football of his career without OBJ in the lineup.
So far this season, OBJ has played in three games, caught 9 balls, and has 124 yards. Those numbers are worse then a third down slot receiver. He hasn’t been asked to do much, and he has done even less.
With Jarvis Landry returning soon, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Anthony Schwartz and Demetric Felton they have depth at the position. Adding to the depth is the fact that tight ends Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant have proven they can be counted on to catch balls as well. Bryant and Hooper combined for 70 catches and 7 touchdowns last year. Yesterday it was David Njoku stepping up as well.
Yesterday, with 26 seconds left on the clock, OBJ was wide open cutting towards the sideline at the Chargers 35. There is no doubt he could have caught the pass and headed up field atleast another 10-15 yards before getting out of bounds. Instead, Baker Mayfield never even looks at him and chooses to throw it into double coverage with a pass that never had a chance.
Despite this clearly being Baker’s fault, it all goes back to the same exact point. There is no trust there either way, and this is not working. Time to move on.
Get rid of Baker Mayfield he can’t leave or wide receiver wide open like that. That would be something to talk about right there. You going to lose high-caliber receivers. Baker Mayfield needs a play more like a team player.
As it was shown, Baker does SO much better without OBJ. We’ve got some great catchers here. Let’s use ’em. Sure, a throw to him to save the game would have been awesome, but if those plays aren’t happening much, move on. In my opinion, I say we get rid of him and focus on the connections that seem to work already. Stop all the wasted energy fighting over it. But that’s just my opinion.
Use Higgins he’s the man