Off-season thoughts (Vol. XXXI)

There are nasty rumors making the rounds the last 10 days or so that suggest Odell Beckham Jr. just might be headed back to the Browns.

Up first was free safety John Johnson III, followed by defensive end Myles Garrett, who put the rumor out there in the Twitterverse to see if it would fly. Why not? It's the offseason where just about anything goes. Voila! It grew wings.

You know the old story that if you lie enough -- or in this case, exaggerate in a semi-plausible way -- it eventually becomes the truth. Here we are just a week out for the annual mid-June minicamp for the entire club and the focus is on Deshaun Watson and his 24 civil suits and OBJ possibly returning.

First of all, that bit of nonsense -- doesn't take brains to figure out where this is going -- gives rumors a bad name. The likelihood of Beckham returning to the team that cut him loose halfway through last season is ludicrous, right? 

And then comes word from Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that the Cleveland front office is, indeed, discussing that very possibility. That the Browns have not responded to that item is curious at best, unsettling at worst.

If true, that would suggest General Manager Andrew Berry, head coach Kevin Stefanski and the rest of the Ivory Tower gang is not as sanguine about the wide receivers room as they profess. Saying it is one thing; meaning it is entirely different.

The news out of Miami spawned stories about how popular Beckham was in the Cleveland locker room. "Great teammate." "Hated to see him leave." "Come home. The fellas miss you." The love flowed. So why not bring him back? He'd be welcomed back with open arms. What happened last season was not his fault.

What has given this legs is Beckham is a free agent after helping the Los Angeles Rams knock off the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl earlier this year. He was a completely different player after leaving Cleveland, scoring all six of his touchdowns last season with the Rams before re-tearing an ACL in the big game.

Adding to the plausibility of OBJ even thinking about returning is the changed Cleveland offensive landscape with regard to the quarterback position. Baker Mayfield, with whom Beckham never really connected, is -- or soon will be -- gone. The much more heralded Watson is now the man.

Trying to make two and two equal four is the notion Beckham would have no trouble playing pitch and catch with Watson. The very thought might, in fact, intrigue him. Imagine playing with one of the bright, young National Football League quarterbacks and redeeming his poor Cleveland reputation.

He'd return as the theoretical No. 1 wideout with the Browns ahead of Amari Copper instead of heading back to the Rams as the clear WR2 behind the peerless Cooper Kupp. To those Browns fans who yearn for an OBJ return, that would make some sense. 

I personally hope -- and believe -- Beckham winds up anywhere but Cleveland. He is not even close to being the same player who burst onto the NFL scene with the New York Giants almost a decade ago. He still dazzles with his speed and ability to make the tough, almost impossible reception, but he has also become injury-prone.

He won't be available to play well into this season after his second ACL surgery. He'll be 30 by then and slowly approaching the downside of his checkered career. That, however, doesn't seem to hinder the distinct possibility of Beckham returning to . . . the Rams.

Rams coach Sean McVay has made it clear he envisions OBJ back in the huddle once he fully recovers. "We really want Odell back on our team," he said. "That's our goal. We're continuing to work toward a solution of his resigning with the Rams."

Beckham also seems quite fond of McVay, so much so that he crashed McVay's recent wedding despite not receiving an invite, which went only to team captains. McVay nevertheless said he "loved it."

The only other possibility of Beckham not landing with the Browns or Rams stems from the fact college -- and Browns -- teammate Jarvis Landry is trying to recruit him to come back home and play with him and his new team in New Orleans. 

Odds, though, favor the Rams at this juncture because Beckham finally realized his goal of being fitted for a Super Bowl with them. That right there is reason enough to re-up 

It is certain to once and for all shut down those nasty rumors of a return to Cleveland.