Getty Cleveland QB Baker Mayfield.
Odell Beckham Jr. must have inspired his quarterback Baker Mayfield that a fresh new look would be a great way to roll into the season.
Mayfield showed up to Cleveland Browns training camp on Sunday sporting some unique facial hair. However, it wasn’t the usual thick beard fans have grown accustomed to.
No, instead it was a solid mustache, making the second-year QB look like a savvy veteran.
.@bakermayfield debuting a new look 👨🏻
Mayfield’s mustache has been a topic of conversation before, but not with the Browns. While at Oklahoma, the Heisman winning QB would grow out his stache to let Bedlam rival Oklahoma State know there was a new sheriff in town. One thick handlebar look was especially impressive.
#Bedlam ready.
Odell Beckham Ready for ‘Fresh Start’ in Cleveland
Earlier this offseason, Beckham went with a huge shift of his own when he cut off his patented blonde floppy mohawk. OBJ, who landed in Cleveland via a blockbuster trade this offseason, went with the new look this offseason to signal his fresh start with the Browns.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen with the hair but I just wanted a fresh start,” Beckham explained at his youth camp. “I feel a little lighter. It honestly was just a fresh start. You’re not defined by anything. I’m just comfortable with who I am. We’ll see what happens, there might be some blond going back in there. There’s a lot of kids who want it, so I guess if it’s requested, I might have go back to it.”
Mayfield, Beckham Set to Light it Up With Browns
It was an offseason of change for Mayfield, who got married to his wife Emily this offseason and spent some time getting to know Beckham, his new No. 1 wide receiver.
Training camp is just getting started, but Beckham is already showing why the Browns pulled off the trade to bring him to town. The five-year vet has snagged some patented one-handed grabs and has shown a good synergy with Mayfield.
“It is kind of a security blanket,” Mayfield said of Beckham. “The one throw on my left, it looked like he kind of double jumped – he had another jump in the air. We talked about it in the spring – he is just a special individual who can do things like that.”
During his five seasons with the Giants, Beckham hauled in 390 passes for 5,476 yards and 44 touchdowns in 59 games. He has made the Pro Bowl three-times and has designs to catch Jerry Rice on the all-time receiving yards list.
Beckham had a complicated history with the fans at his last stop with the Giants. Now in Cleveland, Beckham is embracing the passionate “Dawg Pound” fan base.
“You can feel it. You don’t even have to hear,” Beckham said. “I’m a real empath so I can feel the hunger and the want to win from these fans and that’s something we want to showcase and give to them.”
He’s also excited to get to work with Mayfield who plays the game with similar emotion.
“I’ve watched Baker since Oklahoma … he’s got an arm,” Beckham told reporters at minicamp. “I have to get adjusted to the speed. He’s throwing that ball hard. Just catching them from him the first day it was completely different.”
In just 13 starts, 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, just missing the playoffs but giving fans hope about what was to come.
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