Odell Beckham Jr. stats before and after Browns release: How Rams wideout is thriving in LA

Hollywood’s latest star is still on the rise.

It wasn’t too long ago that Odell Beckham Jr. expressed desire to play on the West Coast, and he finally got the opportunity this season when the Browns released him and the Rams brought him in for a playoff run.

Beckham’s Browns tenure wasn’t all it was cracked up to be: With inefficiencies at quarterback and a run-heavy attack, Beckham couldn’t quite replicate the success he had with the Giants in 2 1/2 seasons with Baker Mayfield in Cleveland, resulting in just seven touchdowns in 29 games in orange and brown.

Well, from an organization scuffling to make the playoffs to a team that’s a perennial Super Bowl contender, Beckham got another opportunity to polish his reputation as one of the game’s best receivers with Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford in LA. 

It’s worked out well for both sides: Beckham scored five touchdowns with the Rams in eight regular-season games and added another in the wild-card game vs. the Cardinals. The Browns missed the playoffs.

Here’s how he’s played so far:

Odell Beckham Jr. stats with Rams

In the regular season with the Rams, Beckham caught 27 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns over eight games. 

It was something of a slow start for him: In Beckham’s Week 10 debut with the Rams vs. the 49ers, he was primarily used as a decoy receiver, catching just two passes on three targets in the game. 

After a Week 11 bye — and more time to get Beckham involved in the offense in the wake of the loss of Robert Woods — Beckham caught five passes from Stafford for 81 yards. Beckham also scored his first TD as a Ram in that game.

Beckham’s third go of it, a matchup with the Jaguars in Week 13, was a little lighter on work given the utter domination by both running back Sony Michel and wideout Cooper Kupp. Beckham was targeted just five times in the matchup, with two catches for 28 yards total.

It’s important to note that Beckham’s snap counts by position aren’t dramatically different from how he was used with Cleveland, either, between playing in the slot and playing out wide. 

Part of the difference in Beckham’s production with the Rams as opposed to the Browns this year is how he’s used: With the Rams, he has been targeted deep (20-plus yards) 10 times, being used more in medium- and short-yardage situations instead.

Beckham has been targeted 21 times on short (0-9 yard) routes, the most of any yardage depth. He does his best work, though, on medium-length targets, earning an elite 96.6 PFF receiving grade.

Here’s a breakdown of Beckham’s 2021 season with the Browns vs. his season numbers with the Rams (including playoffs):