Odell: My return will be special
Odell Beckham Jr. is getting closer to making his long-awaited return after tearing his ACL last season.
The Cleveland Browns wide receiver, who missed his team's first two games in 2021, was a full participant at practice Wednesday for the first time since the regular season began.
However, Beckham isn't ready to officially confirm his status for Sunday's Week 3 game against the Chicago Bears.
"We'll see," Beckham said Thursday when asked about his availability against the Bears, according to ESPN's Jake Trotter. "Taking it (one) day at a time."
"I'm definitely looking forward to it. It's been a long time. A long time in that cave. ... It's going to be special," he added.
Beckham went down with the knee injury last October and hasn't seen any game action since. The star pass-catcher was in line to play in the first two weeks of this season, but the Browns ruled him out following pregame warmups.
"I've worked extremely hard to not only get back but improve and be better than I ever have been," the three-time Pro Bowler said.
The 28-year-old's return will be perfect timing for Cleveland if he's available to face Chicago. The Browns recently placed Jarvis Landry - their leading receiver over the last three years - on injured reserve due to a knee ailment.
Cleveland's passing attack struggled through the first two weeks of the season, with quarterback Baker Mayfield tossing only one touchdown to running back Demetric Felton. Tight end David Njoku currently leads the club with 94 receiving yards in 2021.
Beckham caught 23 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns through seven appearances before being sidelined in 2020.