Berea, OH (92.3 The Fan) – Browns receivers coach Adam Henry’s phone blew up with over 400 text messages and a multitude of phone calls the evening of March 12.
The Browns had just agreed to acquire Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants. It was a trade that shook and shocked not just the NFL, but the sports world.
“It was crazy,” Henry said Thursday.
Henry, who coached Beckham along with Jarvis Landry at LSU for two years, was excited to see that he was going to coach the dynamic duo once again in Cleveland.
“I remember talking to Jarvis, and Jarvis was like in tears and it was just like, 'Is this really real?'” Henry said.
It is real, although it hasn’t felt that way this offseason with Beckham skipping all but two days of the voluntary offseason workout program, extra minicamp and OTAs and Landry being held out recently with an undisclosed injury.
“You would like him to be here, but again because of the rules, it is voluntary,” Henry said of Beckham’s absence.
Head coach Freddie Kitchens took that same stance earlier this month but appeared to sour on Thursday when he was asked what Beckham was missing by essentially taking the spring off.
“A lot,” Kitchens said. “The offense.”
Beckham is expected in town for next week’s mandatory minicamp but Landry likely won’t be on the field and we'll have to wait until training camp opens in late July to finally see the two together again.
Henry talks to Beckham frequently and he’s done his best to help the star receiver adjust to the trade to Cleveland and joining the Browns.
“There’s a lot of questions because change is always difficult,” Henry said. “When you change, you’re so accustomed to doing one thing and you kind of want to know the lay of the land, and where to stay, what to do and the food and just the people, the culture here and how good Freddie is at being the head coach and what type of coach he is and so, but he’s getting very comfortable now.”
Last season Baker Mayfield broke the NFL’s rookie record for touchdown passes with 27 of them. To put that in perspective, the Browns scored 27 TDs total the previous year when they went 0-16.
After a stellar rookie year for Mayfield, having Beckham and Landry to throw to this fall is expected to be explosive, and Henry can’t wait to see just how prolific they’ll be.
“It could be pretty special,” Henry said. “But again, we’ve got a long way to go. It’s something you look forward to. Potentially on paper it’s something that’s good.
“We’ve got a quarterback that can throw it with great leadership and with Freddie’s mind and the play calling, we’ll be in a good situation.”
Beckham and Landry both have big personalities. Most NFL receivers – especially the best ones in the game – typically do, but Henry explained why he doesn’t anticipate a tug of war between the two for footballs from Mayfield.
“They're like brothers. They're competitive, but they're brothers,” Henry said. “They're going to try to make each other better. You would see at times at LSU Odell's blowing the top off and Jarvis is underneath catching a touchdown and they're pointing at each other talking about thank you while he's going into the end zone.”
Henry also doesn’t think Beckham, who played five seasons in the NFL’s largest market and is the league’s social media star, will have any problems with playing in Cleveland for the up and coming Browns.
“I believe it'll be great for him because the fans are tremendous here,” Henry said. “The fans are great. They're receptive to him. They're going to let him be him and accept him for who he is, and I believe this is a great market for him and a great place for him.”
