In game one after the release of Odell Beckham Jr, the Cleveland Browns’ offense around quarterback Baker Mayfield is turning up the heat. OBJ never fit the Browns’ system, one NFL expert finds. The separation could be a win-win situation for both players and team.

Cleveland/Munich – Geoff Schwartz knows Odell Beckham Jr. well. As a guard, the now 35-year-old played with OBJ in the New York Giants’ offense during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Which is why Black, who now works as a football analyst,’ tweet is all the more remarkable.

“Some players wore ‘Free Odell’ shirts before their games today. But it looks like the Browns offence is playing better since being freed from Odell,” Schwartz tweeted on Sunday. And indeed, there was no denying that the Cleveland Browns’ offense, led by quarterback Baker Mayfield, was at its best in the 41-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in game one after the Beckham dismissal.

Bunch of players wore “Free Odell” shirts before games today. Looks like the Browns offense is playing better since they are free of Odell on the field. ♂️

– Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) November 7, 2021

Anyway, Beckham Jr, whose trade from Giants to Browns in March 2019 kept the football world buzzing for days, was not missed. Which is why there is now intense debate about who is to blame for OBJ’s time in Cleveland being so disappointing, ending with a firing last week. The Browns, or the eccentric receiver himself?

It wasn’t just LeBron James who made the case for OBJ

It’s clear that OBJ has plenty of celebrity advocates, too. Basketball superstar and Cleveland native LeBron James, for example, sided with Beckham Jr. “OBJ will show again why he is so special,” James wrote, adding the hashtag “WR1” to the tweet.

As noted by Geoff Schwartz, a group of Minnesota Vikings players wore a T-shirt reading “Free Odell” during warm-ups. Beckham’s father Odell Beckham Sr. recently posted an 11-minute video of scenes in which Beckham broke free but was not thrown at by Baker Mayfield.

Several Vikings players out here in “Free Odell” shirts for warmups. This is Cam Dantzler, who grew up in Louisiana with Beckham. Justin Jefferson is also wearing one for his fellow LSU alum. pic.twitter.com/9LKKQIXF8U

– Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 7, 2021

Just 17 balls caught this season by the receiver, who turned 29 a few days ago, and he did not score a touchdown. That he and Mayfield didn’t have much chemistry on the field is undisputed.

Beckham Jr. already in negative spiral with Giants

But if you look at Beckham’s entire career, there is an overall negative trend that began with the Giants. After three phenomenal first seasons in which Beckham Jr. earned superstar status and provided one of the most memorable moments in NFL history with his spectacular catch falling backwards on 24 January 2015, he suffered a fractured ankle during the 2017 season.

In the 2018 season, OBJ bounced back with more than 1,000 receiving yards, but at the same time he looked increasingly unhappy with the Giants. He criticised quarterback Eli Manning and thus indirectly blamed him for his declining numbers. A situation that in a way reminds of the last weeks and months with Mayfield.

After the trade to Cleveland, Beckham Jr. played another season with more than 1,000 receiving yards before tearing his ACL in the 2020 season and has not been able to return to his form since. The question of whether OBJ, who thrives on his speed and explosive running, is the same as he was before the injury is difficult to answer. He simply hasn’t been involved enough in the Browns’ game lately.

NFL expert Orlovsky: OBJ didn’t fit anything in Browns system

The Browns, at least, really don’t seem to need the extroverted receiver at first glance. Mayfield threw for 218 yards and two touchdowns against Cincinnati, and the Browns’ running game is perhaps the strongest in the NFL anyway. So no Odell, no problem, you might say.

“These were the Browns I expected in the offseason,” former quarterback and current football pundit Dan Orlovsky told “ESPN”, echoing Geoff Schwartz’s sentiment: “This was the quarterback I expected. In reality, Baker Mayfield is a better quarterback without OBJ. Kevin Stefanski is a better head coach without a star receiver.”

The ball-hungry Beckham Jr, always looking to prove himself, just doesn’t fit the Browns’ system, Orlovsky continued. From that perspective, the current situation could be a win-win. OBJ can soon prove to another franchise that he is indeed still the superstar of days gone by. And Baker Mayfield can distribute the balls at the Browns without having to consider the demands of Odell Beckham Jr. and those of his numerous fans.