Baker Mayfield is not going to win the starting quarterback job before the start of the season. Browns coach Hue Jackson reiterated that Tyrod Taylor is the team’s starter with no competition.
“I’m not going to back off of this,” Jackson said, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “We can keep writing this narrative. Tyrod Taylor’s the starting quarterback of this football team, and that won’t change.”
The Browns, of course, made Mayfield the No. 1 overall pick. Teams don’t use No. 1 overall picks on players who are going to ride the bench for long. But Jackson also wants to make sure that Mayfield doesn’t get thrown into the fire before he is ready. The Browns have been down that road before.
Cody Kessler was 0-8 as a rookie in 2016, and DeShone Kizer went 0-15 as a rookie in 2017.
“He has a lot of characteristics that we love. That’s why he’s here,” Jackson said of Mayfield. “[But] let’s make sure we pump our brakes a little bit, because he’s got a ways to go and a lot to learn. I’m very excited about him. It was a good first day, but he’s got a ways to go. The guy you’re comparing him to [Taylor] has played a lot of games, and won games in the National Football League.”
Jackson hopes Taylor, who is 22-20 as a starter, will take Mayfield under his wing and serve as a mentor.
“Tyrod has demonstrated every day what it’s like to be a starting quarterback in the National Football League,” Jackson said. “I want some of that to rub off on [Mayfield] so he can see firsthand what it means to play quarterback in the National Football League. Baker doesn’t know. . . . The thing I like about the young man, he’s going to do the work. I truly believe that.”