BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns are resting their starters in the fourth preseason game, and with quarterback Tyrod Taylor already turning his focus to the regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Coach Hue Jackson is putting the offense in the hands of rookie Baker Mayfield.
The ultra-competitive Mayfield, whom the Browns selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, is relishing the opportunity to lead the offense from the outset of a game.
“I’m very ready,” Mayfield said following Tuesday’s practice at team headquarters in Berea.
“It’s another opportunity for me. I’ve been saying it over and over again. I need to take advantage of my opportunities, and this is a great one to come out and show what I can do from the get-go, set the tone not just for the offense, but for the whole team just kind of mindset-wise and just executing.”
In last Thursday’s third preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles at FirstEnergy Stadium, Mayfield was pressed into service with the first-team offense for two series when Taylor suffered what turned out to be a dislocated pinkie finger while escaping the pocket and lofting a pass toward the end zone on a fourth-and-goal play.
Mayfield went two for five with the first-team offense and ended the night having completed eight of his 12 throws for 76 yards, but tossed an interception on his last attempt of the night and smacked his helmet against one of his linemen while falling to the ground after the turnover.
Mayfield was evaluated for a concussion by the independent neurologist on the field, but cleared the tests and remained on the sideline for the rest of the game.
During his first three preseason appearances with the Browns, Mayfield completed 26 of his 45 throws (57.78 percent) for 363 yards and two touchdowns against one interception despite being sacked four times in those games.
Additionally, Mayfield rushed for 32 yards on 10 carries.
And Mayfield is hungry to build upon those numbers when the Browns bring the preseason to a close with Thursday’s game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in downtown Detroit.
“Take care of the ball, get the ball out quicker and quicker and I think like I said about starting, it's a good opportunity to kind of set the tone, so that means command of the offense, but also, just being a leader out there for everybody,” Mayfield said.
Although Thursday’s game could be Mayfield’s last live action for the foreseeable future, he is focused on doing what needs to be done against the Lions.
“I take it one day at a time,” Mayfield said. “I always put 100 percent in every opportunity I get, so I’m going to treat this one the same as I would any other just because if I went into it with that mindset that this is my last time, I might try to do something different than just my job, so I need to settle in and just do my job.”
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