49ers couldn’t trade for OBJ, now they have to stop him
SANTA CLARA >> The last time Odell Beckham Jr. showed up at Levi’s Stadium, he gave 49ers GM John Lynch a pregame hug, then went and scored two touchdowns in a New York Giants win on “Monday Night Football.”
Last November’s primetime performance further convinced the 49ers to try trading for Beckham this past offseason.
Instead, Beckham went to the higher bidder, the Cleveland Browns, who’ll visit the 49ers on Monday.
Even though Beckham had a career-low 20 yards (on two catches) in Sunday’s win at the Baltimore Ravens, he provided key blocks, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s saved his playmaking theatrics for the Monday night audience.
“Odell is a dynamic player,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said. “If people want to double him and grab him and hold him when he gets down the field, it’s hard to get him the ball. If he just goes and plays, he’ll get plenty of balls.” The 49ers are well aware. “That’s a good friend of mine. We chop it up, maybe once a week,” 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin said.
Rather than replay last March’s trade wars, Goodwin said he and Beckham have mutual interests (track and field backgrounds) and they share family friends (“One of my barbers was one of his godfathers,” Goodwin said.)
Cornerback Richard Sherman also goes way back with Beckham, at least back five years to the flamboyant receiver’s rookie season. Beckham had seven catches for 108 yards in a 38-17 loss to Sherman’s Seattle squad on Oct. 9, 2014.
“He was a relatively unknown at that point,” Sherman said, “and he came out there, was incredibly talented, had some juice about him, great hands, great routes.
“From that day forward, he’s in my notes for somebody to be alert for.”
All of which is to say that Beckham won’t sneak up on the 49ers.
They first faced Beckham in 2015 as he totaled seven catches, 121 yards and a touchdown catch for the Giants in a Sunday night game.
This Monday night, the Browns likely will line up Beckham more on cornerback
Emmanuel Moseley, who’s poised for his first career start in place of an injured Ahkello Witherspoon. Nickel back K’Waun Williams also will be challenged to cover Beckham, whom Sherman touts as the NFL’s best slot receiver.
Flashing back to March, the 49ers openly acknowledged their failed pursuit of Beckham. Lynch said the Giants initially wanted two first-round draft picks in return, and although the 49ers tried to get “creative,” it did not work, so they instead used their No. 2 overall draft pick on defensive end Nick Bosa.
Beckham cost the Browns a first-round pick (No. 17), a third-rounder (No. 95) and safety Jabrill Peppers.
So far, Beckham has just one touchdown for the Browns (2-2) but it came on an 89-yard reception. Overall, he has 21 catches (tied for 13th in the NFL) for 308 yards (10th most). In Sunday’s win at Baltimore, he got in a scuffle and appeared to get choked by the Ravens’ Marlon Humphrey, a controversial moment that’s kept Beckham in the spotlight this week — like so many previous weeks when he was on the Giants.
Bosa, meanwhile, has delivered one sack amid an overall positive impact for a revived 49ers pass rush. It’s what the 49ers wanted out of a No. 2 pick they refused to cough up for Beckham.
“That’s too valuable of a pick, even for a player of his magnitude,” Lynch told KNBR in March. “So we tried to come up with creative, different ways to get it done and it didn’t work out, so you move on.”
The 49ers moved onto the draft, and took wide receivers Deebo Samuel (second round) and Jalen Hurd (third round). Samuel’s 11 catches for 147 yards (one touchdown) rank behind only tight end George Kittle (17-165-0). Hurd has yet to play this season because of a stress reaction in his back.
Goodwin is eager to not only see Beckham but also for the prime-time spotlight to shine on the 49ers (3-0).
“A lot of people on this team don’t get the credit that they deserve,” Goodwin said, “so Monday we get to showcase that.”
• The 49ers promoted Marcell Harris from the practice squad and released Antone Exum. Harris started five games last season as a rookie.