NFL
Baker Mayfield Has Officially Been Named The Starting Quarterback For The Cleveland Browns
The unrecruited college walk-on has become a franchise quarterback in the National Football League. Baker Mayfield has done the near impossible. From humble beginnings at Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas, Mayfield walked-on at both Texas Tech and then Oklahoma University.
By his senior season, Baker Mayfield was a household name. Mayfield had become a Heisman Trophy winner and led the Sooners to consecutive playoff appearances, yet there were still doubts regarding his eligibility. National pundits weren’t sure if his abilities would translate from the collegiate field to the professional one.
Mayfield’s projection in the NFL Draft varied from first overall pick to the late third round. On April 26th, in the 2018 NFL Draft, John Dorsey and the Cleveland Browns decided to take a calculated chance and picked the former Sooner QB first overall.
Mayfield’s Comeback Win
From the beginning of OTAs, Browns head coach Hue Jackson repeated the company line; Tyrod Taylor was the starting QB of the Browns, and Baker was to use this season to learn what playing in the NFL entailed.
After an impressive preseason showing by Mayfield, questions began to swirl about when Jackson would hand Baker the ball. Would it be Week 1, Week 5, Week 10? Or would fans not see their first overall pick start until the 2019 season? Coach Jackson was unwavering, Taylor was the QB1, and that was that.
On Thursday Night’s primetime game against the New York Jets, Taylor threw for just 19 yards, before leaving the game at the three-minute mark in the 2nd quarter with a concussion. It was originally unclear why Taylor had left the game or for how long he would be out. Mayfield came in for the Browns who were down 14-0. His first drive of the game resulted in a field goal right before the conclusion of the first half.
In the second half, it was the Mayfield show just like in college. Mayfield threw for 201 yards and went 17 of 23, he also caught a pass for a two-point conversion to put the game further out of reach for the Jets. The storybook comeback against fellow rookie QB, Sam Darnold, couldn’t have been written any better.
The Decision: Mayfield Or Darnold
Tyrod Taylor this season has garnered only a 63.7 QB rating, averaging 127 yards per game. Mayfield is averaging 193 yards per game with limited playing time and boasts a 100.1 QB rating.
Prior to Mayfield’s comeback win on Thursday, the reasons to start Taylor and keep Mayfield on the sideline were plentiful: keep Mayfield healthy, maybe Mayfield isn’t ready, the team seems to respond to Taylor well, Taylor has more experience, Mayfield can learn better on the sideline.
After Taylor’s poor performance on Thursday and Mayfield’s dominant one, most of those reasons became moot. Mayfield looked like an NFL quarterback on Thursday, both on and off the field. From talking to each of his offensive teammates on the sidelines, commanding the huddle, calling audibles at the line, and remaining calm in the pocket under pressure, the offense was Mayfield’s.
It appeared that the student was ready and the teacher was not. With presumable pressure from both the locker room and the parking lot, Jackson did not have much of a choice. Mayfield’s performance and the Browns’ first victory in 635 days made the decision for Jackson: Baker is the new starting quarterback in The Land, the 30th since 1999.
A Long, Exciting Road For Baker And The Browns
Mayfield will make immediate changes on the field for the Browns. The Browns’ wide receiving core is filled with talent. WRs Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, and Antonio Callaway along with tight end David Njoku almost all saw increases in targets and yards received during Mayfield’s time on the field.
Mayfield’s ability to scramble and extend plays will serve all of them well. His arm strength and accuracy for down the field throws will especially compliment Landry who has a knack for spectacular end zone and sideline catches.
The AFC North is the most uncertain it has been in nearly a decade. The Pittsburgh Steelers are struggling with personnel problems and look to get their first win against on Monday Night against Tampa Bay.
The Cincinnati Bengals look the best they have in recent years but are suffering from some injuries. The Baltimore Ravens, who like the Bengals have a 2-1 record, lack explosiveness on offense. They are also dealing with a (much less exciting) quarterback controversy.
Their rookie QB, Lamar Jackson, likely won’t start until next year. So while the Steelers or Bengals are the favorites to win the division, the Browns with Mayfield at the helm become a dangerous dark horse. Predictions for the Browns range from 5-11-1 to 8-8-1 with a few hopefuls looking to an above .500 season.
It is a long season, and the Browns have just begun the 16-game trek. Mayfield has just completed his first half of NFL regular season football. Everything at this point is strictly speculation for the upcoming season. We have not seen Mayfield against a top ten secondary.
We haven’t seen him continue to make throws after taking big hits or throwing a pick. But when future Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees says Mayfield will be better than him one day, there’s probably something there. The decision to start Mayfield could not have come sooner for the Browns, but is it too soon for Mayfield? Unlikely, but we’ll see.
Photo credit to Felix Josephat via Flickr
