Odell Beckham Jr. excused from Thursday’s practice, per report

UPDATE: Beckham Jr. has been excused from practice for the second straight day and it is still highly likely that the wideout has played his last snap for the Browns, per Mary Kay Cabot.

The question marks for Week 9 of the NFL season just keep on coming. Josina Anderson reports that the Browns have excused Odell Beckham Jr. from Wednesday’s practice. Beckham was thought to be a possible trade candidate ahead of the 2021 NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, but the Browns didn’t make a deal.

Though Beckham Jr. has been managing a shoulder injury this season, it doesn’t appear that his absence from practice is injury-related. He’s currently signed with the Browns through the 2021 NFL season after receiving a monster $90 million extension with the New York Giants. He was subsequently traded to the Browns in exchange for a first and third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and safety Jabrill Peppers. Since joining the Browns, Beckham Jr. has played in just 29 games, totaling 1,586 receiving yards and 7 TDs. His 2020 season ended prematurely after suffering a torn ACL in Week 7.

It’s been clear OBJ’s chemistry with QB Baker Mayfield has not developed as planned, and many have speculated that there’s some frustration for the former 3x Pro Bowl wideout given the lack of success he’s found there with the Browns. Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports outlined some of the details surrounding his troubled relationship with the team on Wednesday morning.

If the Browns were to release Odell Beckham Jr., they’d be on the hook for $12,790,000 in dead cap, saving the team $2,960,000.