While Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. said that he would be in mandatory minicamp for the team this week, it sounds like his old friend will not. The organization’s other starting wide receiver Jarvis Landry, has been missing time due to injury, and according to Freddie Kitchens, the head coach, he doesn’t seem to expect him to return in time.
Their minicamp begins today and runs through the next three days. Landry will not be out there with his teammates, from the sounds of it. it is unclear what injury he is dealing with or how severe it might be—or have been—but he has not been on the field as of yet.
Kitchens was asked late last week about the wide receiver, and when asked if the thought he would be at minicamp, he first said that he did not know whether or not that would be the case, then added, “probably not”. Another asked him if he had some kind of clean-up surgery, but he said that it was “more precautionary than anything” that he was not out on the field.
Perhaps it’s worth noting that Hue Jackson was one of the main people in the Browns’ organization to really adapt to the idea of giving players as much rest time as possible, whether they are healthy or not, to monitor injuries. Kitchens on Hard Knocks seemed a bit more resistant to it.
While Landry is not out on the field, though, he and his daughter are making friends with wildlife, so at least he’s got that going for him. There is a pretty damn adorable video that he posted of a fawn—a baby deer—following his young daughter around.
Not only have both Landry and Beckham been unavailable, so too has Antonio Callaway for much of the offseason as well due to injury, so that has made it more difficult for second-year starting quarterback Baker Mayfield to get in quality reps with his top three wide receivers off the field.
He has instead been working with the likes of Rashard Higgins, Damion Ratley, and Jaelen Strong, though he has his running backs and tight ends to work with. But it’s important to get that rhythm down with his wide receivers, as well as to learn their tendencies, something Kitchens discussed as well.
“He still has to learn how to throw to different receivers. He still has to learn how different receivers come in and out of routes”, Kitchens said of Mayfield. “So, he can continue to get better with his eyes, his declarations, his sights, his hots and his protection adjustments”.
“Throwing to different type guys coming out of breaks, because even when we have all three or four guys here, we have our top six guys”, he added. “If we have our top six guys, every one of those six is going to come out of a break differently. So it is just the extra practice for that type setting. He’s done a good job of that”.
