BEREA, Ohio — Bud Light delivered on their promise to give Cleveland Browns fans free beer when the team broke its 19-game winless streak last September, and they might just double-down on the stakes this time around.
Shortly after the Browns held an introductory press conference for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., alongside longtime friend and fellow pass catcher, Jarvis Landry, defensive end Myles Garrett and quarterback Baker Mayfield, the team sent a message to Bud Light.
And it did not take long for Bud Light to answer, as they used a line synonymous with Mayfield.
The Browns got the offseason program underway at team headquarters Monday, and unlike past years, there is a palpable buzz among fans, who feel they have plenty of reason to be optimistic heading into the 2019 season.
At 2-5-1 following a 33-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 28 and in the middle of an unprecedented midseason coaching staff upheaval following the dismissals of Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley, the 2018 Browns looked to be anything but a team capable of the greatest year-to-year turnaround in franchise history.
But a 5-3 record over the second half of the season and a three-game winning streak in December secured the Browns’ greatest year-to-year turnaround in team history, as they finished plus-7.5 in victories over 2017’s winless campaign.
Also, there is the matter of having the starting quarterback figured out after 20 years of searching for the next “franchise” signal-caller.
No rookie in the near 100-year history of the NFL has thrown more touchdowns passes than Mayfield.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Mayfield broke the rookie record with his 27th touchdown throw of the season with 3:24 remaining in the fourth quarter of a 26-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC North Division clash at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on December 30.
After taking over the first-team offense in the second quarter of a Week 3 win over the New York Jets, Mayfield completed 310 of his 486 attempts (63.8 percent) for 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns against 14 interceptions.
Under the direction of new Browns coach Freddie Kitchens, who was the interim offensive coordinator for the second half of the 2018 season, Mayfield completed 180 of his 263 attempts (68.4 percent) for 2,254 yards and 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions.
Add in Beckham Jr. to a young nucleus featuring Mayfield, Landry, Garrett and running back Nick Chubb, and confidence continues to grow that 2019 could be a special season for the Browns.
Over 59 regular-season games, including 56 starts, in five years with the New York Giants, Beckham Jr. turned 622 targets into 390 receptions for 5,476 yards and 44 touchdowns. Beckham Jr. averaged 92.8 yards per game, including a league-best 108.8 during the 2014 season.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Beckham Jr. has put four 1,000-yard and three double-digit touchdown seasons on his resume since being selected with a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Louisiana State University.
Last season, Beckham Jr. turned in a 77-catch, 1,052-yard, six-touchdown effort for the Giants.
