HE FOUNDATION FOR the most anticipated
season of Browns football in a long time was laid
nine years ago, 800 miles south of Cleveland. That’s
when Odell Beckham Jr. first met Jarvis Landry.
The two were both star high school
wide receivers in Louisiana, but they
were in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for a
seven-on-seven tournament.
They forged an immediate
bond, and when it came
time to decide where to go to college,
their friendship—Beckham described
them as being more like “brothers”—
played a huge role in picking a school.
They decided to attend LSU, where they
put up ridiculous numbers as the Tigers were a
national power. In 2013, Beckham and Landry
became the first teammates in school history to have
1,000 yards receiving in the same year.
about how he’d feel after their last game at LSU. “It’s not
something I like to think about,” he told a Baton Rouge
newspaper. “It’s kind of sad if it is our last time.”
It turns out it wasn’t their last time after all.
For the second straight offseason, the Browns made a
huge trade for an elite receiver. Last summer they acquired
Landry from the Dolphins. Then in March they landed
Beckham from the Giants.
The best friends were reunited. And suddenly Cleveland
fans had an offense worth getting excited about.
BY
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