Jadeveon Clowney was given every opportunity to take a shot at former Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, but he’ll just let his play do the talking.
In a one-on-one interview with Josina Anderson of CBS Sports, Clowney was asked if he had anything special lined up for Mayfield when the Browns face off against the Panthers in Week 1.
“Right now we are just preparing. When that day comes, we’ll talk about it. Good luck to Baker,” Clowney said with a grin.
Full 1-on-1 with Jadeveon Clowney on the impact of back-to-back seasons with the same team, how Deshaun Watson is handling everything, who is Batman & Robin between he & Myles Garrett, and whether he’s working up a special delivery for Baker Mayfield in their Week 1 matchup.
Anderson revved up Clowney again with the same question, but the former top pick said he has nothing but love for Mayfield.
“We are just going to try to get out there like we do every team. That’s how it go. That’s still my boy,” Clowney said. “Bake my boy. I wish him the best of luck over there. Much success to him the rest of his career.”
On the other side of things, Mayfield admitted he’s looking forward to seeing the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2018.
“I’m not going to sit here and be a robot and tell you that’s not one I’ve marked on the calendar already,” Mayfield said in an interview posted July 12 on the Panthers’ team website. “One, that’s not who I am. To me, it’s about winning games. Whoever we have marked on the schedule, I’m going to try to win.”
Myles Garrett Also Dodged Question on Facing Mayfield
Clowney was not the first member of the Browns defensive line to be asked about facing Mayfield. Garrett was also posed a similar question during his first media availability at camp and said he hasn’t thought about the prospect of sacking his former QB.
“Not really,” Garrett said at training camp on July 27. “Some of my friends were, but that’s good for them. They can make their jokes, they can have fun with it. But I have a lot of time with Jacoby (Brissett) and all these other quarterbacks I’ve seen before, (Josh) Dobbs. Just being able to work against them, work against Jed (Wills Jr.) and just trying to improve on my technique and my fundamentals and drive those points home with some of the younger guys, that’s all I’m really focused about.”
As head coach Kevin Stefanski pointed out, there’s a chance all the Mayfield talk is for nothing. He still has to win the starting gig in Carolina.
“I wish him well. I think he’s in a really good spot,” Stefanski said from camp on July 27. “I’m not going to speak for coach Matt Rhule and who plays for them. We’ll have time to talk about those type of things.”
Mayfield Making Impression on New Teammates
Mayfield is a polarizing character to have around and his sometimes overzealous competitiveness can rub people the wrong way — evident by the reports that surfaced after his departure. But Mayfield appears to be making a good impression on his new teammates, particularly linebacker Shaq Thompson.
“He’s competitive,” Thompson said of Mayfield. “That’s how Cam was in 2015. Cam was competitive, talking mess, him and TD [Thomas Davis]. We’re all competitors.
“I love a quarterback who talks trash. We’re going to talk trash right back to you. Low blows, high blows, it don’t matter. At the end of the day we’re football players, we’re brothers, and we’re all going for the same goal.”
Mayfield is in need of a bounce-back year after he completed 60.5% of his passes for 3,010 yards, 17 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. While his inconsistent play was glaring, at least part of it can be attributed to a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder he suffered while trying to make a tackle in Week 2 against the Texans. He had surgery this offseason and is has been a full-go for Panthers camp.
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Browns DE Jadeveon Clowney Drops Strong Statement on Baker Mayfield