The Cleveland Browns have named Baker Mayfield their starting quarterback. The announcement comes after Mayfield came in after an injury to Tyrod Taylor and led the Browns to their first win in nearly two years.
Tyrod Taylor left Thursday’s contest against the New York Jets with a concussion and the Browns trailing 14-0. Baker Mayfield entered the game and led the Browns to a 21-17 comeback victory, Cleveland’s first since 2016. Mayfield completed 17 of 23 passes for 2o1 yards in just over two quarters of play.
No announcement was made immediately after the game however the team announced Sunday that Mayfield will be the starter moving forward.
Mayfield gives the Browns offense an entirely new dimension moving forward. When Taylor is in the game the opposing defense can crowd the line of scrimmage and blitz with reckless abandon. Taylor is not one to take chances which leads to holding onto the ball too long and taking unnecessary sacks. Additionally, the offense tends to stall and big plays downfield are non-existent. The same cannot be said for when Mayfield is in the game. Mayfield will get the ball out quick, create his own windows and throw the ball downfield. Essentially everything that Mayfield does, Taylor does not.
When Mayfield took the field the entire offense appeared to have an entirely different energy. Everything was upbeat and ready to attack. This is in contrast to the rather lethargic look that the Cleveland offense had with Taylor under center. This may be due to the fact that Taylor is limited as a quarterback while Mayfield is not. Taylor manages the offense, Mayfield commands it. The difference is night and day.
The Browns head out to Oakland to face the dysfunctional Raiders in Week 4. Mayfield will look to build upon a successful NFL debut against an Oakland team that is susceptible to getting carved up by opposing quarterbacks. Bakermania has just started and could reach a fever pitch with another Browns victory next Sunday.
