Getty Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield received high praise from Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden.
You probably don’t have to guess how Baker Mayfield was feeling when Hue Jackson informed him that he’d be the Cleveland Browns’ new starting quarterback. But in case you did, Jackson was honest with the media about how Mayfield reacted to hearing the news.
As Browns analyst Steve Doerschuk revealed, Jackson said the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft “had a big grin on his face.”
If you’ve watched Mayfield play either with the Browns or during his collegiate career, the grin isn’t all that surprising. Even after his big performance in Week 3 against the New York Jets, the quarterback was caught with a grin on his face a few times while speaking with NFL Network.
The rookie simply oozes confidence, which isn’t typical for many first-year players in the league. But after digging the Browns out of a 14-0 hole by completing 17-of-23 passes for 201 yards and catching a two-point conversion to snap the team’s 19-game winless streak, it’s tough to blame him.
What Lies Ahead for Baker Mayfield
Upcoming games against the Oakland Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers won’t all be easy tasks for the rookie. Fortunately, only the Ravens seem to be an over-the-top brutal matchup. The Chargers, Buccaneers, and Raiders have all proven to be beatable by opposing quarterbacks.
For good measure, as Doerschuk also revealed, Jackson’s comments on the decision don’t point to this being a one-week start for Mayfield either.
Mayfield the starter for how long? Hue Jackson only says, “He’s the starting quarterback for this football team.” Period
The Browns will first head on the road to face Oakland and then return back home for two games against the Ravens and Chargers in front of their own fans. There’ll surely be some bumps in the road moving forward for Mayfield, but it seems the team has locked in on him as their long-term starter, so he’s unlikely to have to look over his shoulder.
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