NFL Rumors: Odell Beckham Jr. Could Miss Significant Time After Suffering ‘Major’ Knee Injury

Odell Beckham Jr. could miss significant time after going down with a knee injury on Sunday that is feared to be “major.”

The Cleveland Browns wide receiver was hurt on the team’s second snap against the Cincinnati Bengals, going down in pain after chasing down a Bengals defender following an interception from Baker Mayfield. As NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport noted on Twitter, there are indications that the injury could be significant.

“WR Odell Beckham, who was knocked out of today’s game early, is feared to have suffered a major knee injury, source said. He’ll have an MRI in the morning and perhaps there will be some better news, but early indications aren’t good,” Rapoport tweeted.

ESPN noted that the team did not have a definitive diagnosis for Beckham following the game, and would be looking to more testing this week to get a better idea of how much time he could miss. A source close to the Browns said the team was still holding out hope that it may not have been as bad as originally feared.

“Sometimes [it’s] hard to know for sure,” the source said. “Obviously, hope we dodge a bullet.”

There was no clear indication yet just what the worst-case scenario could look like, including whether it may be a season-ending ailment. But as Sports Illustrated noted, it did seem that the Browns would have to start relying more on Jarvis Landry and Rashard Higgins along with rookie Donovan Peoples-Jones.

The three combined for 14 catches against the Bengals, racking up a collective 214 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Harrison Bryant also stepped up in Beckham’s absence, catching four passes for 56 yards and two touchdowns.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKj9FrB_1h8

The Browns, in play for the AFC North at 5-2, could be hurt if Beckham were to miss significant time. He has 23 catches for 319 yards and three touchdowns this season, and is one of Mayfield’s favorite weapons and a key part of a resurgent offense.

After leaving Sunday’s game, the wide receiver had some encouraging words for his teammates. As the Browns website reported, he spoke to Mayfield at halftime with Cleveland trailing 17-10 and the quarterback struggling after a rough first quarter.

“Go be great,” Beckham told his quarterback.

He responded, completing 21 of his final 22 passes after going 0-for-5 to start the game. He would go on to throw the go-ahead touchdown with 11 seconds remaining.

The Browns are expected to get a better indication of the extent of Beckham’s injury on Monday.