Don't let the door . . . 

It's only a matter of time before Odell Beckham Jr. becomes a former member of the Cleveland Browns, ending what can best be labeled a rancorous 32 months since arriving in a trade from the New York Giants.

The end, which could come as early as Friday, will bring to a close a period that, depending on what unfolds following his departure, could be a turning point for a franchise that has seemingly lost its way on the field in the last month.

The distraction is evident and seems to have divided the locker room. "I feel the majority of this locker room would love to have him in this building, flat out," free safety John Johnson III shared with the media Thursday after Beckham was given an excused absence from practice for a second straight day. 

"Hopefully, we can get him back if that's possible. That's just my opinion on it. If not, we've got to carry on. We've got a big game coming up, another division game. That's what my mind-set is. Just get ready for this week."

Whether the Browns place Beckham on waivers, possibly place him on season-ending injured reserve with various ailments or flat out cut him, he is gone, nothing more than a seemingly good deal at the time that went terribly wrong almost from the beginning.

When Beckham arrived in 2019, he was championed as the missing piece of the puzzle. Pair him up with Baker Mayfield, who had become the face of the franchise with a sparkling rookie season, sit back and watch what happens.

What happened was a disconnect almost from the beginning with Mayfield, under the mismanagement of way-in-over-his-head rookie head coach Freddie Kitchens, frequently failing to take advantage of the receiver's talents. It took a season-ending injury to Beckham midway through last season to discover Mayfield had no such trouble with his other receivers.

Slowly but surely, the whole Mayfield-Beckham disconnection saga began to unravel when Beckham returned to the active roster in week three this season. It was exacerbated by a shoulder injury Mayfield incurred in week two against the Houston Texans, unwisely trying to tackle safety Justin Reid after intercepting a pass in the second quarter.

By the time Beckham was cleared to resume play in game three, Mayfield was nursing a torn labrum in his left shoulder. It was followed three games later by a broken bone in the same shoulder. Although he said it did not hinder his throwing motion, Mayfield's failure to connect with the club's No. 1 receiver was obvious.

No matter what head coach/playcaller Kevin Stefanski drew up, it rarely worked with the precision many fans expected when OBJ arrived. Too often, the quarterback was high with his throws, getting under the football and sailing it instead of driving threw it in his delivery.

Other times, Beckham worked his way clear and Mayfield either failed to see him or chose to continue his progression and distribute the football elsewhere to Beckham's frustration. That was seen in some camps as the quarterback ignoring his ostensibly main man.

It was shortly after the Texans victory, the first of three straight Cleveland wins, that Mayfield began struggling with the passing game. In the four games he piloted since the Houston victory  -- disregarding the 47-42 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in week five because it was an outlier -- the Cleveland offense generated just 64 points.

Mayfield, who has lost three straight games as the starter entering Sunday's game in Cincinnati, completed just 62% of his passes in those four games for an average of 237 yards per and just three touchdowns. If not for a resurgent Cleveland defense, which surrendered just 67 points in those games, and a terrific ground game, who knows what the record would be today.

The Browns are fortunate to be 4-4 at this juncture with an offense that more resembles Browns offenses of the first 20 seasons of this iteration than it does the scary numbers put up last season. And with Mayfield operating quite literally with one arm almost pinned to his side by a harness and the next blow to the area a distinct possibility, the once-promising season could blow up at any time. 

The sooner the club separates from Beckham, though, the better. Distractions like this have a tendency to linger unfortunately and the club shouldn't be emotionally burdened with dragging it on. It's incumbent on the front office, which should have seen this coming. to act quickly and decisively.