BEREA, Ohio — Odell Beckham Jr. remains lined up outside – way outside.
The polarizing wide receiver was excused from practice for the second straight day on Thursday as the Cleveland Browns figure out their next move with him, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The team hasn’t reached a conclusion yet on what to do with Beckham, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Beckham has likely played his last game in Cleveland, his exit hastened by his father sharing a video on social media criticizing quarterback Baker Mayfield for not throwing the ball to the three-time Pro Bowler.
Beckham’s silence on the matter underscores his divide with the Browns.
And while the team’s front office works toward a solution, some players expressed a willingness to bring Beckham back.
“Hopefully we can get him back if that’s possible,” said safety John Johnson III. “I feel like the majority of this locker room would love to have him in this building. Flat out.
“I guess the leaders in this building feel like we can do it without him. Some guys might have a different opinion. So moving forward, hopefully we can get him back somehow. But if not, we’ve got to keep it going. We’ve got a big game coming up, another division game, that’s what my mindset is, just get ready for this week.”
Browns left guard Joel Bitonio, one of the team’s most respected players and leaders, said there is confusion over Beckham’s status.
“Yeah, it’s hard because we don’t know what the situation is,” he said. “We think he’s a great player when he’s on the field, but we don’t know what the situation is. We don’t know what’s really going on.
“We probably know as much as you guys know from outside the building. But if he wants to come back and be part of the team, I’m sure we’d welcome him with open arms.”
Cleveland could waive Beckham if it doesn’t see a reconciliation, which seems like a long shot at this point.
Beckham turns 29 on Friday. He’s making $15.75 million this season, and the Browns would have to pay him more than half of that if he was waived and not claimed by another team.
Beckham is under contract for two more seasons, but doesn’t have any guaranteed money on his contract after this year.
Amid a major distraction, the Browns (4-4), who have fallen into last place in the AFC North, visit the Cincinnati Bengals (5-3) on Sunday and can’t afford many more losses if they hope to make the playoffs.
Browns Coach Kevin Stefanski doesn’t speak to reporters on Thursday, but his coordinators were all available and said he’s handling the circumstances with aplomb.
“Kevin has done a nice job as a leader of the coaching staff and of our football team,” said special teams coordinator Mike Priefer. “The guys in the locker room, we have a bunch of professional football players who really know what their job is and what the task at hand for the Cleveland Browns this week against the Cincinnati Bengals, a very, very good football team on the road.
“That is where our concern is.”
One of Beckham’s closest friends, Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry, normally speaks with reporters on Thursday but did not hold a session.
Beckham’s stormy tenure in Cleveland appears to be coming to an end after a disruptive few days.
On Tuesday, Odell Beckham Sr. shared an 11-minute video highlighting plays in which his son was open and Mayfield either missed him or ignored him completely.
The Browns told Beckham not to report to practice Wednesday and afterward Mayfield said he had not spoken to his teammate. Mayfield said he was caught off guard by the personal attack, which came a few hours before the NFL trade deadline.
“I’ve had conversations with his dad before, man to man, face to face,” Mayfield said. “I was pretty surprised by the video and the intentions and the feelings behind it. I’d be lying if I said otherwise. But hurt? Nah, I’m good. I’ll be all right.”
GIANTS: The New York Giants limited access to their facility after the laboratory handling their COVID-19 testing had an unusually high number of false positive tests.
The Giants said several more players and coaches had false positives on Thursday, forcing the team to cancel in-facility morning meetings for players and to close their office to non-football staff.
Coach Joe Judge said some players and coaches were sent home and later brought back to the building for an afternoon walkthrough and practice when a second test was negative.
“It’s been a different type of day, we have flowed with it pretty well as an organization,” Judge said before practice, adding it was reminiscent of last season when the pandemic overshadowed the season at times.
Judge said all meetings were conducted virtually.
The Giants said Bio-Reference Laboratories, which handles testing for the league, is experiencing an unusually high number of false positives using the Rapid Mesa Test. With one exception, the team said, all the positive Mesa test results over the past two days have come back negative through PCR testing.
PCR is a molecular test that detects genetic material of the virus using a lab technique called polymerase chain reaction.
The laboratory is working with experts to determine the source of the problem, the team said.
TEXANS: Quarterback Tyrod Taylor will start for the Houston Texans when they visit the Miami Dolphins on Sunday after missing the past six games with a hamstring injury.
Coach David Culley said Taylor gives Houston its best chance to win.
Taylor opened the season as Houston’s starter with Deshaun Watson sitting out amid a trade request and 22 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment or assault. Taylor led the Texans to a win in the opener against Jacksonville before injuring his hamstring on a touchdown run in the second quarter of a loss to Cleveland Sept. 19, and rookie Davis Mills took over after halftime.
The Texans have struggled with Mills and have lost seven games in a row. It’s their longest skid since dropping the final 14 games of the 2013 season.
COWBOYS: There’s every reason to believe that quarterback Dak Prescott will play Sunday against Denver. The Dallas star is expected to return after missing a game with a right calf strain.
“Be better. That’s my expectation going into everything,” Prescott said Thursday after being a full participant in practice. “I think I’ve had two good days of practice and continue to get better, put the final stamps on the game plan and go out there and be better than I was a couple of weeks ago against the Patriots.”
Prescott beat New England with a touchdown toss to CeeDee Lamb in overtime, the play on which the calf injury happened.
CARDINALS: Quarterback Kyler Murray didn’t practice for a second straight day on Thursday because of an injured ankle, casting doubt on his status for the team’s upcoming game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Murray hurt his left ankle on the final drive of Arizona’s 24-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers last Thursday, which was the team’s first loss of the season.
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