OMG, OBJ: Beckham’s arrival makes Browns instant contenders
CLEVELAND(AP) » The Cleveland Browns returned as an expansion team in 1999. They became a real one Tuesday night.
It only took 20 mostly tortuous years — and one tremendous trade.
With a shocking, block- buster deal for superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the Browns flipped the NFL on its helmet and instantaneously changed their national perception. They’re the talk of the league, and for the first time in forever, it’s for the right reasons.
No longer a punching bag, the Browns are punching back. From hopeless to hope- filled. Finally.
Shortly after the league’s free- agent signing period and its new calendar year opened on Wednesday, the Browns made their acquisition of Beckham from the New York Giants official. It’s a done deal, and it’s starting to sink in for Cleveland’s impassioned and pained fan base,
which has been waiting decades for its beloved football team to return to glory.
The Browns acquired Beckham and defensive end Olivier Vernon in exchange for guardKevin Zeitler, safety Jabrill Peppers, a 2019 firstround pick (No. 17 overall) and a third-rounder (No. 95).
Beckham makes Cleveland cooler, the Browns a must-watch on TV, and in the words of quarterback Baker Mayfield, “dangerous.”
One- handed catches. Prime-time matchups. Soldout games. The Browns changed overnight.
In landing Beckham, one of the game’s most electrifying players, Cleveland has risen from unimaginable depths in just a year. The Browns were coming off a historic 0-16 season last March, still searching for an elusive franchise quarterback and were prepared to enter the 2018 season with coach Hue Jackson, who had guided them to a 1-31 record over two seasons.
They were the league’s laughingstocks. General manager John Dorsey has turned the tables. He began strategically plotting a run at Beckham in December, and seemingly came out of nowhere to deliver a blindside blow.
“He’s probably if not the one, one or two best receivers in the National Football League,” Dorsey said. “Very rarely do you get a chance to acquire a player of this magnitude. He’s at a relatively young age. He’s got a lot of football left in him. Great hands, great workethic, committed, competitive, he really wants to be great. And that’s all you can ask for.”
One of the architects of Kansas City’s turnaround, Dorsey has revived Cleveland’s roster. The franchise now boasts Beckham, who will be reunited with receiver Jarvis Landry, his close friend and LSU teammate, Mayfield, Pro Bowl defensive end MylesGarrett andmaybe for- mer Chefs running back Kareem Hunt, who still faces a likely league suspension.
The Browns are loaded with young, exciting players who may do more than contend for a playoff spot next season, and could one day take Cleveland to its first Super Bowl.
Some day. Maybe soon. Moments after news of the trade agreement broke Tuesday, the odds in Las Vegas for the Browns winning the Super Bowl fell from 25 to 1 to 14 to 1.
For Beckham, sometimes dynamic, sometimes diva, Cleveland represents a fresh start and clean slate.
The three- time Pro Bowler, who can turn a short catch into a long gain, gives Mayfield an almost matchless weapon. He has amassed at least 1,000 yards receiving four times, the exception being an injury-shortened 2017 season. Last year, after signing a five-year, $90 million contract extension, he had 77 receptions for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games.