Sunday afternoon the Browns will play their second game since releasing supposed star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., following up an impressive beatdown of the state-rival Bengals with a trip to Gillette Stadium for a key AFC battle with the Patriots.
Cleveland is looking to improve on its success competing without Beckham, an 8-4 record since 2019 in games that have seen Baker Mayfield’s production improve dramatically.
But the Browns won’t be the only team in Foxborough this weekend that’s better off without Beckham, as the same can very easily be argued for Bill Belichick’s rebuilt Patriots squad that’s gaining momentum midway through the 2021 season under the direction of impressive rookie starting quarterback Mac Jones.
Heck, in New Year’s Day fashion let’s call Sunday’s meeting between Cleveland and New England the Better Off Without Beckham Bowl!
Now that the former LSU star and man still basically best known for a one-handed, glove-aided grab seven years ago ended his midseason free agency ego boost by landing in L.A. with the all-in Rams, we can reasonably assess the Patriots supposed pursuit of Beckham.
And as Garth Brooks may have sung at Gillette had his tour not be derailed by COVID, Patriots fans should “Thank God for unanswered prayers.”
It’s understandable why many a member of Patriot Nation was lusting after Beckham. It’s part of the fabric of sports, the pursuit of perceived star players with truly elite, game changing talents. Heck, Belichick himself has made it quite clear through his actions over the years that he can fall victim to the powerful pull of alluring star players – look no further than his ill-advised overpaying to land Antonio Brown in 2019, adding to the laundry list of star receivers he’s pursued at one point or another over the years.
Fans, media and teams alike get wrapped up in the pursuit of big-name stars in all sports. It’s part of the fun.
But in the process we forget there’s often a good reason why such players are available, reasons that make them distasteful for their former team and possibly less-than-ideal for their next. Caught up in the star power lust, we tend ignore the facts.
In this case, the fact is Beckham is an aging talent whose talents may not be aging all that well. He’s a guy who hasn’t stayed healthy consistently very often the last five years. A guy who hasn’t put up truly elite production since 2016. A teammate who’s had issues with each of his last two quarterbacks and organizations that led to messy public divorces.
He’s as big or bigger a risk as he is a potential reward at this point. For an all-in Super Bowl contender like the Rams, led by upstart veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford and adding talents like Von Miller at the trade deadline, maybe that potential reward is worth any risk. Maybe Stafford has been around the block enough to deal with Beckham. Maybe the other established stars in L.A. will be help keep Beckham on the straight and narrow.
Maybe the atmosphere in and around SoFi Stadium is just what Beckham needs and wants to thrive at this point in his career that feels like a one-hit wonder still trying to prove he’s not.
Maybe, but the fit he found with the Rams alongside rising star Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and the rest is nothing like he would have had in New England.
Nope. With the Patriots Beckham would have been expected to be a true No. 1 target. As such he clearly would have still expected to be treated like a true No. 1 target, which is kinda what’s gotten him in trouble for like the last seven years.
At a different time for New England and OBJ maybe there would have been a better fit, but 2021 Beckham and the 2021 Patriots just didn’t make sense for either side when you really think about it.
As Jones said when strangely answering a question about Panthers pass rusher Brian Burns wanting an apology for the rookie quarterback grabbing his ankle last Sunday in Carolina, New England can and will be ready to play with the targets it has on the receiver depth chart.
“I'm just looking forward to playing this game with the guys that we have on our team, so we're already kind of moving forward and ready to play this week,” Jones said while OBJ was in the midst of his little free agency look-at-me minute.
Yup. For better or worse, the Patriots have the talent they have at wide receiver. Nelson Agholor, Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne is certainly not a trio that’s going to get fans going on a jersey-buying spree. It’s also not a trio without talent.
More importantly it’s a group that’s part of the overall positive chemistry built in New England through the summer and early-season struggles. It’s a group that clearly loves playing together and believes it can make the plays necessary to win. It’s a group without a star, without ego and without expectation. No expectation that it will put up star numbers, but also no expectation that Jones has to throw any member the ball on a certain play or a certain number of times per game.
Like Brady in his early years, Jones’ favorite receiver can remain the open one. He and the group can continue to grow and learn together under the normal pressures of NFL action but without some entitled diva teammate disrupting the dynamics of what has become a winning locker room.
The Patriots may be more boring without OBJ. Maybe not technically have as much pure physical talent at the receiver depth chart without him.
But the reality is -- whether we want to admit it as star-lusting onlookers or not -- just like the Browns, New England is better off without Beckham.
