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The Cleveland Browns season has not gone quite like many expected, and at 2-3, it should surprise nobody when trade rumors start popping up. Earlier this week, a verified Twitter account reported the Browns were listening to trade offers for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.. Browns GM John Dorsey denied the report when asked by Adam Schefter, claiming it’s “fake news.”
There is one important thing to take away from this. That is the fact that almost any dummy can get the blue check mark of verification — yours truly included. The tweet came from a radio host who is a well-known knucklehead, so that alone is reason enough to ignore the rumor.
I don’t think the Browns are actually shopping OBJ at this point in his tenure with the team. Things are not going very well right now, but they remain an incredibly talented team. Baker Mayfield has been shaky, so we’ll see if he can turn it around, but they’re still in the thick of the AFC North race — one game back of the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are looking at lost seasons, so this is effectively a two-team race. They’re not unloading OBJ in his first year, even if things are not going as well as expected.