Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry said on Thursday that the team needs “to be intentional with getting” fellow wideout Odell Beckham the ball.
That came a day after quarterback Baker Mayfield said that Beckham “is frustrated when he is not getting the ball and we are losing.” Mayfield also said that he didn’t think forcing the ball to Beckham is the right way for the offense to find the success that’s eluded them for much of the season.
Beckham isn’t arguing with either of his teammates. He said during his own Thursday media session that he’s not advocating “just giving me the ball to appease me or anything like that,” but was also sure to say that getting the ball into his hands is a good way to make quarterback Baker Mayfield’s life easier against the Seahawks this weekend and in the weeks to come.
“Take something off his plate,” Beckham said, via Cleveland.com. “I’m more than happy to take something off his plate and put it on me. I can take it. I can handle all this stuff, so just put it on me and see what happens. . . . I care for this game period, so whether I’m emotional during the game or whatever, it’s because I care, so like I say, I’m a big boy. I can handle any criticism, any words that are said about me, anything. I’ll take more on my plate, I’ll take that responsibility 10 times out of 10.”
Beckham’s push to get the ball in his hands more often led to him returning a punt late in last Monday’s loss to the 49ers. Beckham was stripped of the ball while trying to break a big return, which he called a case of trying to “do too much.”
The big issue for the Browns moving forward will be finding a way to put enough on Beckham’s plate to keep him from being frustrated without forcing the ball his way when it doesn’t make sense.