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Cleveland Browns remain committed to Tyrod Taylor as starting quarterback

Despite the drafting of Baker Mayfield, the Cleveland Browns remain committed to Tyrod Taylor as ther starting quarterback.
Credit: Matt Florjancic
Cleveland Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor looks to hand off to a running back in a drill during Organized Team Activities practice at team headquarters in Berea.

BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns remain committed to having Tyrod Taylor as the No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart.

Although the Browns spent the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft on quarterback Baker Mayfield, they are in no hurry to put him into the starting lineup and in charge of the offense, not especially after trading for Taylor, who led the Buffalo Bills to the postseason last year, which broke a 17-season playoff drought for the organization.

“Tyrod Taylor is the starter,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said in a pre-training camp press conference Wednesday. “I don’t envision any situation where all of a sudden (Mayfield’s) getting a bunch of first-team reps unless, God forbid, something happens, but at the same time, there might be a day -- please nobody hold me to it -- where Tyrod all of a sudden maybe doesn’t go and Baker’s out there and people go ‘oh my gosh.’ It wouldn’t be that.

“I’m committed to making this work the way that we have it, because I think it’s what’s best for the organization. I think it’s what’s best for the player. If the player supersedes that, it will show itself. You guys will know probably faster than we all do because you guys look at it that way, so trust me, I think we’re in a really, really good place right now.”

After helping break the Bills’ NFL-worst 17-year postseason drought in 2017, Taylor was traded to the Browns, who coincidently took over for his former team as the organization with the longest streak of seasons without a playoff appearance.

“You’re talking about seven years to a guy’s a rookie, so you’d hope that a veteran player of Tyrod’s caliber, with his talent and ability, and again, we keep talking about what he’s done in Buffalo because obviously, we want him to do that here, that he should have a leg up,” Jackson said.

Credit: Matt Florjancic
Cleveland Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor throws a pass down the field in a drill during Organized Team Activities practice at team headquarters in Berea.

During his seven-year career with the Baltimore Ravens and Bills, Taylor completed 793 of his 1,271 attempts (62.4 percent) for 9,056 yards and 51 touchdowns against 18 interceptions. Of those 793 completions, 116 went for at least 20 yards and 22 more were 40-yard gains.

In his three seasons with the Bills, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Taylor completed 774 passes for 8,837 yards and 51 touchdowns against 16 interceptions.

“We just took a young player who we think is going to be a tremendous player, but he needs time,” Jackson said. “I mean, he’s not ready to walk out there right now and play, and that’s okay. We didn’t bring him here for that.

“We brought him here because he’s talented. We think he’s the future of this organization. We’re going to do everything we can to continue to develop him as we go through training camp and preseason, during the season and put him in position that when he does need to play, and when he’s ready to play, he’ll walk out there and play well.”

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