Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has a "decent chance" of making his season debut in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

Beckham has not played since tearing his ACL in Week 7 last season.

Beckham burst onto the national scene with his remarkable one-handed catch against the Dallas Cowboys in 2014. He is also known for his penchant for taking quick slants to the house.

The former LSU star's career includes three Pro Bowl appearances and the 2014 Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Unfortunately, injuries have stunted a potential Hall of Fame career for one of the game's most exciting talents in the past decade.

A hamstring injury caused Beckham to miss much of his rookie offseason with the New York Giants as well as the first four regular-season games, but he still finished 2014 with an NFL-high 108.8 receiving yards per game after amassing 91 catches for 1,305 yards and 12 scores.

He followed that up with a 96-1,450-13 line in 2015 and a 101-1,367-10 campaign in 2016.

The 2017 season ended in significant disappointment after Beckham suffered a season-ending fractured left ankle in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers. He returned in 2018 and excelled once again, though, catching 77 passes for 1,052 yards and six scores in only 12 games.

After the 2018 season, the Giants traded OBJ to the Cleveland Browns. Beckham had a disappointing 2019 season by his incredibly lofty standards, catching 74 passes for 1,035 yards and four scores.

In 2020, Beckham had only 23 catches for 319 yards and three scores before suffering a torn ACL against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7.

His 2021 season started on the sidelines as he worked his way back from that ACL injury. So far, Beckham has missed the first two games of the season.

Hopefully, Beckham can get back to the field at 100 percent and showcase his incredible talents once again. The Browns finished last year with an 11-5 mark and an AFC divisional-round appearance and could very well find themselves in the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.

 OBJ could help play an integral role in achieving that goal.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is "sore" after suffering a shoulder injury during Sunday's 31-21 victory over the Houston Texans.

"He’s sore, but he gutted it out," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game, per ESPN's Jake Trotter.

Mayfield suffered the injury while attempting to tackle Houston's Justin Reid following an interception.

He was able to remain in the game, throwing for 213 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the victory.

The signal-caller entered the 2020 season under immense pressure after an up-and-down 2019 campaign that saw him throw 21 interceptions. He responded with his most consistent NFL performance to date, completing 62.8 percent of his throws for 3,563 yards with 26 touchdowns and just eight picks.

Mayfield has remained durable since joining Cleveland. He hasn't missed any starts because of injury since making his debut in Week 3 of his rookie season.

Case Keenum would likely get the first crack to take over the Browns' offense if the 26-year-old Texas native misses time this season.

Cleveland holds championship-level expectations this season after reaching the divisional round of the playoffs last year. A healthy Mayfield will be a crucial part of the equation, especially if he continues to make positive strides in his development as a franchise signal-caller.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry was ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Houston Texans after suffering a knee injury, per ESPN's Jake Trotter. 

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was unable to provide much of an update on Landry's injury after Cleveland' 31-21 victory, noting the team is expected to get MRI results on Monday morning, per Trotter.

Depending on the severity of the injury, that could have major fantasy football ramifications for players like Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins and Cleveland's cadre of tight ends, including Austin Hooper. 

When Odell Beckham Jr. returns from his ACL injury, he's the No. 1 receiver in Cleveland, no questions asked, and a fantasy WR2 candidate. That's true with or without Landry in the fold. It's possible he could be back as soon as next week, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. 

So the question becomes who will settle into the No. 2 receiver role in place of Landry, and whether that player will have viable fantasy upside?

Peoples-Jones appears to be the upside play, if only because there are five seasons of evidence from Higgins that he's not quite capable of taking the step into fantasy relevance you need to roster him. He set a career high in receiving yards (599) and tied his career best in receiving touchdowns (four) last season in 13 games. Higgins finished Sunday with two catches for 27 yards.

Peoples-Jones, meanwhile, was in the Chiefs game for 44 snaps last week and ran 25 routes, per ESPN's Mike Clay, appearing to firmly cement himself as the WR2 behind Landry. That didn't translate into production (one catch for four yards on one target), but a heavier workload could be coming.

On the other hand, a lost fumble on Sunday won't help his cause. The Michigan product is worth monitoring and rostering in the deepest leagues, but at this point, you can probably find better options on waivers.

Rookie Anthony Schwartz is also a player worth keeping an eye on, but for now shouldn't be rostered. The Auburn product played 31 snaps in Week 1 and had no catches off his lone target Sunday. 

As for the tight ends, well, good luck wading through that swamp.

Hooper, Harrison Bryant and David Njoku all figure to play a role for the Browns. Njoku had the best Week 1 (three catches for 76 yards). In Week 2, Bryant had the most yards (49 on four receptions), although Hooper had a team-high five catches for 40 yards. 

None of these players are anything more than low-end TE2 options who likely will siphon value from each other all season long. Outside of Beckham, there aren't a lot of players to love for fantasy players in Cleveland's passing game. 

Cleveland Browns receiver Jarvis Landry did not return to Sunday's game against the Houston Texans after suffering a knee injury, per Jake Trotter of ESPN.  

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed to reporters on Monday that Landry has a sprained MCL.

The 28-year-old rarely misses any action because of injury.

He appeared in all 96 possible regular-season games during his first six seasons in the NFL, only missing his first game in 2020. He later revealed he suffered a broken rib but had stayed on the field.

The receiver remains a consistent weapon as well, totaling at least 70 catches for 750 yards in each NFL season. The production took a dip in 2020, featuring a career-low 72 catches for 840 receiving yards, but the numbers were still enough to lead the team.

Landry is still a go-to option for Cleveland when healthy, totaling 71 receiving yards on five catches in Week 1. 

With Landry now out and Odell Beckham Jr. still inactive, the Browns turn to Donovan Peoples-Jones, Rashard Higgins and Anthony Schwartz at receiver.

The NFL fined Cleveland Browns safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. $12,128 for shoving Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach Greg Lewis in Week 1, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Pelissero reported that Lewis didn't receive a fine because league officials didn't believe his actions rose to that level.

Harrison was ejected in the first quarter of Cleveland's 33-29 loss to Kansas City.

After an 11-yard reception by Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Harrison appeared to inadvertently step on the Chiefs running back. Lewis pushed him away, and he responded by shoving Lewis around the neck area.

While some form of discipline was inevitable for Harrison, Browns center JC Tretter, who's also the NFL Players Association president, thought Lewis' actions warranted a punishment as well.

"I expect that the coach gets held to the same standard—if not a higher standard—than Ronnie," Tretter told reporters. "Being the first one in there and being a coach, putting his hands on an opposing player—I don't think there's any room for that in this league."

While members of the Browns may be upset that Lewis avoided consequences, at least Harrison is eligible to suit up Sunday against the Houston Texans.

Pelissero reported that in response to the situation, the NFL circulated a memo to teams about a rule that prohibits team personnel "from making unnecessary physical contact with or directing abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures at opponents, game officials, or representatives of the league."

Cleveland Browns punter Jamie Gillan spoke candidly with reporters about his dropped snap (and ensuing running attempt) that occurred during his team's 33-29 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday.

Cleveland.com provided a video of Gillan's interview:

The Browns went three-and-out midway through the fourth quarter and were forced to punt after facing a 4th-and-12 from their own 24-yard line up 29-27.

However, Gillan dropped the snap and tried to run with the ball instead of punting. That resulted in the Chiefs getting the ball on the Browns' 15-yard line and scoring the game-winning touchdown three plays later.

"I kind of panicked a little bit and took off running," Gillan said, per Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal.

"Which now that that's happened, if that error happens again, punt it off, right, because it was only a six-man box and I had plenty of time. It was just a massive mistake for myself and I'm sorry."

The man nicknamed the "Scottish Hammer" is taking the glass-half-full approach with the season just one week old, though (h/t Ridenour).

The whole point of my position is to be a weapon and to help out the team and obviously there I didn't. But things happen, right? And that hasn't changed my outlook in practice or anything.

I'm still this happy-go-lucky-likes-a-pint-or-two person. To be honest with you, I'm really happy this happened in Week 1, you're trying to find a silver lining in every cloud, right? And to me it's a reset button, right? I can't punt the ball without catching it, so I better catch it next time.

Gillan said he believed that was the first time he ever dropped a snap.

The 24-year-old is in his third season with the Browns. He earned PFWA All-Rookie honors in 2019 after the Browns picked up the undrafted free agent out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The Cleveland Browns reportedly have "some optimism" wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will make his season debut in the team's Week 3 game against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 26.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported Thursday that Beckham, who suffered a torn ACL last October against the Cincinnati Bengals, has "impressed those around him" with his recovery from the knee injury.

Beckham has been practicing with the Browns since late August and was listed as a game-time decision ahead of Sunday's 33-29 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs before being declared inactive.

Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski ruled out the three-time Pro Bowl selection for Week 2 against the Houston Texans on Wednesday. The early decision raised concerns about whether the wideout had suffered a setback with his knee, but Stefanski confirmed that wasn't the case.

"He was pushing to get there. [I] just didn't feel like he could play a significant number of snaps," Stefanski told reporters. "I just felt like this for this week, the prudent thing to do was let those other [receivers] get all those reps and, let's game-plan accordingly."

Beckham, who topped 1,000 yards for the fifth time in his career during his first season with Cleveland in 2019, was off to a sluggish start in 2020 with just 319 yards through seven games before the injury.

The former New York Giants standout told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com in July he'd let the doctors decide when it was time for him to suit up in a game again.

"It's whenever I'm ready to get on the field, that's when it will be. Whenever the team, the docs, my team, everything gets cleared, we'll be ready to go," Beckham said. "So whenever that is, Week 1, Week 17, I don't know. Whenever we're ready we'll be ready."

The Browns offense performed well despite his absence against the Chiefs. They outgained the two-time defending AFC champions, 457-397, but couldn't hold off a K.C. rally as Patrick Mahomes and Co. scored 23 points in the second half to pick up the season-opening win.

Getting Beckham back would still provide a boost for Cleveland, especially if he can emerge as one of the league's best big-play threats again.

The Browns have a late bye (Week 13). If it was earlier in the campaign, the staff may have opted to wait until the off week to get him back to full speed with the offense. Instead, it'll likely be a week-to-week situation until he clears all of the necessary hurdles.

If that doesn't happen in time to face the Bears, the next chances for Beckham to return will come in back-to-back road games to open October against the Minnesota Vikings (Oct. 3) and Los Angeles Chargers (Oct. 10).

The Cleveland Browns reportedly have yet to offer quarterback Baker Mayfield a contract extension.

According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the two sides have a positive relationship and have not ruled out opening negotiations during the 2021 season.

Howe added that the Browns have waited to make an offer because of their desire to see Mayfield produce in head coach Kevin Stefanski's offense "over a longer stretch of time."

Mayfield, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, is under contract through the 2022 season, as the Browns exercised the $18.8 million option in his deal for next season.

While Mayfield hitting free agency isn't imminent, a potential extension has been a hot topic, especially since Josh Allen signed an extension with the Buffalo Bills.

Allen was part of the same draft class as Mayfield, going seventh overall. Allen's contract included $150 million in guaranteed money, which is the most in NFL history, and his $43 million in average annual value is second to only Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Another quarterback from the 2018 draft class is expected to receive an extension in the near future as well in the form of Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson.

Allen finished as the runner-up for NFL MVP last season and took the Bills to the AFC Championship Game, while Jackson was NFL MVP two seasons ago. Since both have had more success than Mayfield and figure to get bigger contracts, the Browns may simply be waiting for Jackson's extension to happen for a frame of reference before picking things up with Mayfield.

The 26-year-old Mayfield set career highs as a rookie in 2018 with a completion percentage of 63.8 percent, 3,725 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns, but he dropped off during his second season.

Mayfield completed only 59.4 percent of his passes that season for 3,827 yards, 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.

There were questions surrounding his ability to be a franchise quarterback entering 2020, but Mayfield answered them by completing 62.8 percent of his attempts for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and a career-low eight picks.

Most importantly, Mayfield led the Browns to an 11-5 record and their first playoff berth since 2002. They also beat the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card Round before falling to Kansas City in the divisional round.

Mayfield was efficient last week in a Week 1 loss to the Chiefs, going 21-of-28 for 321 yards, although he threw no touchdowns and one interception.

While Mayfield is capable of big performances, the Browns don't necessarily need him to be a stud in order to win games.

Cleveland boasts one of the NFL's best offensive lines, plus a dynamic running back duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.

The Browns had success last season because they ranked sixth in the NFL in rushing and Mayfield limited his mistakes compared to prior years.

If Mayfield can continue to do that in 2021, he will undoubtedly earn a lengthy and lucrative extension in the near future.

Jarvis Landry, David Njoku and Donovan Peoples-Jones are in line to serve as the Cleveland Browns' top two receivers for the second straight week with news that Odell Beckham Jr. has been ruled out against the Houston Texans. 

With Beckham still working his way back, quarterback Baker Mayfield will lean on Landry and Peoples-Jones as his primary pass-catchers. 

The former is a five-time Pro Bowler who has fit into Cleveland as well as anyone since joining the club in 2018. Over his first three years with the Browns, the 28-year-old caught 236 passes for 2,990 yards and 13 touchdowns. 

He opened the 2021 season last week with a team-high five receptions for 71 yards to go with two carries for 13 yards and a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Peoples-Jones, a second-year pro out of Michigan, spent the majority of his time returning kicks during his rookie season and saw just one target for four yards in the opener. At best, he's a stash candidate on fantasy benches until further notice. 

Landry, meanwhile, carries a high floor against a Texans defense that allowed Trevor Lawrence to throw for 332 yards in Week 1. He should be viewed as a low-end WR2 or high-end flex for the time being. 

Fantasy managers in need of a boost at tight end could also do worse than Njoku, who led all Browns receivers with 76 yards against Kansas City. While his production over the past few years suggests he's a boom-or-bust option, Njoku is a decent flier for Week 2. 

Finally, Anthony Schwartz holds some long-shot appeal in deeper leagues after turning five targets into three receptions for 69 yards a week ago.