The Baker Mayfield era as the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback is here. Head coach Hue Jackson made the news official Monday afternoon.
“As you know, opportunities to play quarterback in the National Football League come in a lot of different ways,” Jackson said. “I informed the group this morning that we are going to start Baker Mayfield and that Tyrod (Taylor) will be the backup if healthy.”
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 24, 2018
What’s important to know is that Mayfield is not just going to be the starting quarterback until Taylor clears the concussion protocol. The keys to the starting quarterback job are in Mayfield’s possession for the long term.
#LIVE: QB Baker Mayfield at the podium https://t.co/61wqDSeJR3
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 24, 2018
“It is humbling. It is an honor,” Mayfield said. “That is what I wanted to be, though. I wanted to be the starting quarterback. I wanted to play. That is just human nature. I am happy, but it is just the beginning.”
“This was a guy that we picked together that John (Dorsey), myself, the personnel department and the coaching staff, that we went all in on unanimously and said this is the guy for the future. I felt really good once it got to this point to where this decision made is being made about a quarterback that we all feel good about.”
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Mayfield relieved Taylor late in the first half of Thursday’s 21-17 win over the New York Jets. Baker guided a struggling offense down the field for its first scoring drive of the game. Mayfield led a comeback from a 14-0 deficit in the victory. The performance forces the Browns to make this move earlier than expected.
#LIVE: Hue Jackson at the podium following Monday’s practice https://t.co/edrFh6LmHA
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 24, 2018
“This is sooner than what I thought it would happen because I thought that we would have played much better earlier on offense. We did not,” Jackson said. “There was a stark difference in how we performed when he got in there. That is the nature of this business. That is the way that it works. It is an earned business. The young man went in there, and he earned the right to be the starter.”
Mayfield becomes the guy who ended the 635-day winless streak. Now he makes his first start Sunday on the road against Jon Gruden’s Oakland Raiders.
“Anytime that you play on the road, it is a great opportunity to see what your team is made of. It is kind of your back is against the wall,” Mayfield said. “It is just your team – just the team that you bring and you travel with. Then, you add in the perspective of the Black Hole. It is a hostile environment. You want to see how your team is going to react. You want to see how they will battle adversity and how you take on the challenge. I am very excited about the opportunity.”
Mayfield can end two more Browns streaks with a win. Cleveland has not won a game on a Sunday since December 13, 2015. The starting quarterback that day, another Heisman Trophy winner, Johnny Manziel. The Browns last road win is October 11, 2015 against the Ravens in Baltimore.
Scott Piker is the Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage Browns. So follow him on twitter @ScottPikerSport
