Getty Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield has gone with a new look for training camp, leaving his thick beard behind and opting instead for a strong mustache.
For much of the offseason, the Cleveland Browns QB sported a thick beard before going clean shaven for his wedding. Many wondered why the QB decided to go with the Burt Reynolds style.
The answer, well, it’s a secret.
“That’s the elegance of having a mustache,” Mayfield said. “Maybe you’ll find out why I got rid of the goatee, maybe you won’t. That’s the great thing about having a mustache. It’s always a mystery.”
QB Baker Mayfield at the podium
He was then asked if he was going to be starring in any “films,” to which the QB responds, “You’d like that wouldn’t you.”
Mayfield showed up to Sunday’s training camp sporting the lip rug, a throwback to his college days where at one point he had a full handlebar for a rivalry game against Oklahoma State.
#Bedlam ready.
Baker Mayfield Building Connection with Odell Beckham
One of the keys of training camp for Mayfield in his second year is building a bond with his new No. 1 wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The two worked out a bit this offseason on the West Coast in advance of Mayfield’s wedding, but putting in the work in pads in the preseason will be key to their success.
Beckham has already shown off his world-class abilities, opening camp with a ridiculous grab on the sideline with a defender draped all over him.
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“It looked like he jumped while he was already in the air,” Mayfield said in a recent Sports Illustrated interview. “I don’t know. It was really weird. Back-shoulder on our left side. Coverage is there, yeah, he makes a play. Guy’s draped all over him. He caught another ball on the sideline, he bobbled it, then got his feet in. That stuff you’ve seen on film every day with him. But the jump in the air … is special.
“He can do things I’ve never seen before. The pure talent is unreal. As we grow chemistry together, it can be pretty special. He makes my job easy. I’m happy to be able to be at camp with him and get better every day.”
Beckham has noted that he’s happy with his quarterback situation, going from the Giants, which featured the aging arm of Eli Manning, to the Browns, where Mayfield’s gunslinger mentality sets the tone for the team.
“I’m going to have to get adjusted to the speed because he’s got an arm,” Beckham told reporters at minicamp. “He’s throwing that ball hard, so just catching it from him from the first day it was like, ‘Wow, this is completely different.’ It just takes time. Again we play in September, so it’s a good thing.”
Baker Mayfield’s MVP Expectations With Browns
While the mustache might be a mystery, what the Browns can expect from Mayfield on the field is not.
In just 13 starts last season, Mayfield threw for 3,725 yards and broke the rookie touchdown record, accounting for 27 passing scores. The Browns finished 7-8-1, winning five of their final seven games.
Now with Beckham at his disposal and spreading the field, Mayfield has been considered by many to be an MVP candidate. One of those believer is NFL.com’s Adam Schein, who named Mayfield his No. 3 MVP candidate behind only Patrick Mahomes and Philip Rivers.
“Mayfield won’t fail. He can’t fail. He has the talent, moxie, work ethic, accuracy and leadership skills to push the Browns to the playoffs,” Schein wrote of Mayfield.
We’ll see if the mustache moxie works for Mayfield in his season year.
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