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Odell Beckham Jr. Posts Video Update on Injury Rehab After Browns WR's Surgery
May 4, 2020
Cleveland Browns star Odell Beckham Jr. provided an update Monday after undergoing surgery for a core muscle injury in January.
"Recovery's going well," Beckham said (warning: video contains profanity). "Guess I'm really trying to put my body back together. I've been playing for 23 years, so for me, I'm trying to put it all back together in seven months."
Beckham's health became a storyline during the 2019 NFL season.
Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported in December the three-time Pro Bowler had told opposing players and coaches he wanted out of Cleveland. Coinciding with that, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported he had been playing through a sports hernia that would require surgery in the offseason.
Beckham detailed the matter in the video (h/t ESPN's Jake Trotter):
"So last year I was training in June and July and I was kind of just feeling stuff around the groin area, abs and stuff like that. My third week of training camp, I tear a little piece of my ab. So before the season, I kind of had the hernia thing going on. Sports hernia is what they call it. End up at the end of the season, torn abductor, torn rectus abdominis on the right.
"So pretty much, I was just f--ked up the whole year, I really didn't try and say anything about it. Probably one of the worst surgeries I've ever had."
Beckham added that he believed the upcoming season is "probably going to be one of my best seasons."
Following the team's Week 14 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Baker Mayfield told reporters he thought Beckham should've had surgery in training camp, when the problem first arose.
Many read that as a criticism of the Browns' training staff, and Mayfield subsequently apologized:
Beckham didn't miss any time in 2019, but the effect of his injury was apparent in his on-field production. He caught 74 passes for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns, and his 64.7 yards per game were a career low. Football Outsiders ranked him 46th among receivers in DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement).
The Browns are obviously banking on a return to form for the star pass-catcher, particularly with regard to Mayfield's development.
The team signed tight end Austin Hooper and right tackle Jack Conklin while selecting left tackle Jedrick Wills in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. Cleveland made it a priority to improve Mayfield's supporting cast, and getting more from Beckham will be one way to help the third-year quarterback.