Odell Beckham Jr. returning to Browns unlikely, but John Johnson III took 'shot in dark'

BEREA — If you want wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to re-sign with the Browns and it doesn't happen, don't blame safety John Johnson III.

After all, Johnson tried his best this offseason to speak an OBJ reunion into existence.

In late March, Johnson appeared on Instagram Live and declared Beckham would be returning to Cleveland.

Johnson laughed after Wednesday's organized team activity practice when the Beacon Journal reminded him of his OBJ-is-coming-back comment.

“It was kind of a shot in the dark,” Johnson said. “That was me recruiting. Honestly, there was no backstory to it. There was no insider information. It was just like, 'I want him here. I've got a feeling that he might come back.' But I don't know. We'll see.”

Never say never in the NFL, but a league source said Wednesday it's “unlikely” the Browns will bring Beckham back.

Beckham forced his way out of Cleveland in early November, and after the Browns released him he signed with the Los Angeles Rams. Beckham went on to flourish with the Rams and help them defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Beckham had two catches on three targets for 52 yards and a touchdown, but he also was knocked out of the Feb. 13 Super Bowl with 3:50 left in the second quarter, when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He had torn the ACL in the same knee on Oct. 25, 2020, as a member of the Browns.

After crashing Sean McVay's wedding, OBJ wanted back on the Los Angeles Rams

Now Beckham is a free agent, and coach Sean McVay has repeatedly said this offseason he wants OBJ to return to the Rams. McVay told the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast about an exchange he had with Beckham along those lines this past weekend when OBJ crashed the coach's wedding.

“I said, 'You crash my wedding, you re-sign with the Rams then, man,'” McVay said on the podcast. “That's a given right there.”

Johnson never wanted Beckham to leave the Browns, who acquired OBJ in a 2019 trade with the New York Giants. Johnson made those feelings known during the divorce proceedings in the fall. Count Johnson among the many Browns players who rooted for OBJ last season after his exit.

“People that you care about, people that you grind with, you always want to see them succeed,” said Johnson, who spent four seasons with the Rams before signing with the Browns last year. “Obviously, I wanted it to be here. But at the end of the day, I want him to be happy, and I want him to succeed. He went to L.A. He probably likes the city better. I think he has ties out there.

“I think just being somewhere where he was in a comfortable situation [was important to him], and then on the field he got more touches than he did here, scored a lot more. Anytime there's a guy you care about, you want to see them be happy, and that's what it looked like. He got the title. He was crying tears of joy, so he's blessed, and I'm happy for him.”

Browns made major change at QB, turning to Deshaun Watson months after Odell Beckham Jr. left

In the buildup to the Super Bowl, Beckham said he had regrets about the way his days with the Browns ended. His father, Odell Beckham Sr., had posted a video on Instagram highlighting plays in which quarterback Baker Mayfield failed to get his wide-open son the ball. Within days, OBJ was headed for L.A.

In Beckham's six games with the Browns last season, he caught 17 passes on 34 targets for 232 yards without a touchdown. In his 12 games with the Rams, including four in the playoffs, he caught 48 passes on 74 targets for 593 yards and seven touchdowns.

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Of course, trading for quarterback Deshaun Watson on March 18 to replace Mayfield is the most glaring change the Browns have made this offseason.

When Johnson has talked to Beckham this offseason, has he gotten a sense OBJ would like to re-sign with the Browns or Rams?

“I mean, when I talk to him, it's not even about anything like that, but if I had to guess, I would think it would be somewhere he's comfortable,” Johnson said. “He just had a baby. Whether that's here or L.A., that's what would I want. I don't know. I have no idea. We've just got to stay tuned.”

Although Beckham isn't expected to wind up back in Cleveland, Johnson has the right idea — Browns fans will be tracking OBJ's movements no matter what.

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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Odell Beckham Jr. Browns reunion unlikely despite recruiting