Berea, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – It didn’t take long for Odell Beckham Jr. to announce his presence with authority during the first practice of training camp Thursday.
On the first snap of 11-on-11 Baker Mayfield rifled a pass towards the near sideline that saw Beckham jump up to high-point the football over his right shoulder with cornerback Terrance Mitchell matching him step for step.
Beckham made the catch, landed both feet in bounds – in stride just inside the white line – drawing the first oohs and aahs of camp from fans.
“I’m blessed. God gifted me with some gifts and when you have a guy throwing it, if it’s put in the right spot, to me nothing feels like a hard catch,” Beckham said. “The harder catches are the easiest ones to be honest with you. A lot of receivers would say the same. We’ll make those harder catches and it’s like it wasn’t much, but the easy catches you really have to focus on, so like I said, I’m just happy to be out there and playing football. This is the game that I love.”
On the very next play Beckham outdid himself.
This time Mayfield’s pass to the near sideline went off the three-time Pro Bowler’s hands, but as he was being brought down by Mitchell, he caught the ball on his knees falling out of bounds.
“I expect myself to make all of those catches,” Beckham said. “I actually get upset that I juggled it and have to do all that and not catch it the first time because bobbling it, not every time you’re going to come down with it, so just make the catch the first time.”
The Browns’ QB certainly appreciated the extra effort from Beckham while realizing it’s just the beginning of what’s to come.
“It is kind of a security blanket,” Mayfield said. “The one throw on my left, it looked like he kind of double jumped – he had another jump in the air. We talked about it in the spring – he is just a special individual who can do things like that.”
Defensive end Myles Garrett was amused when asked how much he noticed No. 13’s presence on the field Thursday morning.
“It’s hard not to [notice him],” Garrett said. “Every time the man touches the ball, there’s clapping, cheering like you never seen somebody catch the ball and fall out of bounds.”
In fairness to Browns fans, it’s been a rare occurrence these last 20 years. We’ve watched practices where completing a single pass was a chore, so please some latitude here while fans adjust Myles.
Beckham’s speed and acceleration looks so effortless as he glides across the grass with every route he runs but it’s his hands – and his ability to catch just about anything thrown within the same area code that he’s in – that amazes.
“I don’t ever expect myself to drop passes,” Beckham said, “even though it’s going to happen, and it has happened. But I don’t expect myself to drop anything.”
Later in practice during another 11-on-11 red zone drill Beckham hauled in a touchdown from Mayfield on what appeared to be a post route right in front of general manager John Dorsey sending the crowd into another frenzy.
And maybe head coach Freddie Kitchens too.
“I do not stay even keeled. I get excited when I see plays like that,” Kitchens said, “but I get excited from everybody when I see plays and them doing what they are supposed to do.”
The practice, which lasted approximately just under 2 ½ hours, felt like an introduction for the fun football that’s to come with Mayfield slinging passes to Beckham.
“I can see how special it's going to be period, being here, being with this team,” Beckham said. “I feel like a lot of people talk about the offense. They talk about Jarvis, Baker, Njoku and we've got Chubb, Kareem, and it's crazy because I think the defense is crazy to me. I think our defensive team is going to be a very, very tough, physical, hard team to beat, and when you've got a team like that you're going against every single day, you can only get better.”
Beckham has gotten past the shock of the March 13 trade and is starting to feel at home in Cleveland. The hero’s welcome he received from fans thirsting for a winner Thursday morning helped.
“I feel like I belong here already,” Beckham said.
“You could feel the hunger to win and the warmth from the fans out there. I do love the love and I’m just happy to be in a situation where I can give love back.”
That might have been the root of his problems in New York, and why not only does he fit in with the Browns, but why he will be motivated to bring it every Sunday afternoon or evening, Monday or Thursday night.
He’s already seen from fans how much he's going to be loved and appreciated here.
“As tough as we are, nobody wants to be hated for whatever reason,” Beckham said. “Every human wants to be loved. I couldn’t find somebody who wants to be hated. When you feel that love, it makes you want to do more for the fans, to do more for your teammates, your brothers, just knowing everybody has your back.”
