Tori Gurley and Rod Pedersen discuss Beckham Jr. release!

By Olivia Lawrence

RP Show Intern

With the news of the Cleveland Browns releasing wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on Friday morning (Nov.5), who better to bring on The Rod Pedersen Show to talk about it than football insider Tori Gurley? Gurley is CFL and NFL alumni, and played for the Browns in 2013.  

Gurley told Rod Pedersen on Friday that he believes the Browns were not a good fit for Beckman Jr., especially when it came to his poor relationship with Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. 

 “It was never a great match for Baker and Odell,” said Gurley. “Odell is used to being in a volume type of system, where he gets eight to 10 targets a game. Eli Manning loved him. In New York, he was the only true skill player they had, someone that was elite, and they were able to build the team around him when it came to game planning and just getting him the ball. But in Cleveland, there are just too many chefs in the kitchen. You have Jarvis Landry, David Njoku, and then two studs at running back Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb.”

Beckham Jr. and Mayfield’s poor relationship was highlighted in the media recently after Beckham Sr. posted a video on social media of all the times Baker did not throw passes to his son, Beckham Jr. The video was followed by a tweet from LeBron James supporting Beckham Jr. It is no surprise that this created a lot of drama within the team and led to his release. 

Gurley’s only hope for Beckham Jr., is he does not end up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For now, Beckham Jr. does not know which team he is going to, but it is predicted he could know as early as Monday (Nov. 8). Perhaps the release might help the 4-4 Browns who are last place in the AFC North.

“It is safe to say this season has not gone the way they thought, they were picked to be a top five NFL team, Tory,” said Rod Pedersen. 

“I had them projected to be a playoff team,” said Gurley. “Baker is in a contract year, and as we mentioned at the beginning of the season, this team is going to go as he goes. Right now, with them being so erratic, that’s how they look.”

The Browns are scheduled to play the 5-3 Cincinnati Bengals on Football Sunday (Nov.7). 

“If the Browns find a way to win, despite all this turmoil,” said Gurley. “Then that lets me know that Odell Beckham really wasn’t the best move for them to have in their locker room.”