CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – As Odell Beckham Jr. prepared to make his return from a torn ACL Sunday, the question leading up to the game was just how much would he be able to do?
The answer – a lot.
Beckham was targeted a team-high nine times in Sunday’s 26-6 win over the Bears and after the game needed to rest.
“[I’m] Exhausted,” Beckham said following the game.
He finished with five catches for 77 yards, with his longest grab going for 26 yards.
“A lot of emotions, just a lot of things running through you as you’re back out in the stadium,” Beckham said.
Beckham’s return came less than 11 months following surgery last November to repair a torn ACL suffered in Week 7 at Cincinnati last season.
“He worked very hard to get back here,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. Any guy who is coming off an injury and coming off of an offseason surgery, it is not easy. He pushed very hard and I was proud of him out there.”
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Baker Mayfield’s first throw went to Beckham, but was incomplete. The second one also went to No. 13, which he caught for 13 yards and a first down to open the game.
Before the game, the prolific receiver hugged fans in the first row. He received one of the loudest ovations from the sellout crowd of the offensive players that were introduced.
Beckham helped draw a pair of penalties and blocked downfield on multiple occasions, which also took energy.
“It just felt like I could never get my legs going,” Beckham said. “I was just exhausted, but we came out with the ‘W’ and that’s all that matters.”
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