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RECAP: Cleveland Browns name rookie Baker Mayfield starting QB

The Cleveland Browns resumed practice and named rookie Baker Mayfield their new starting quarterback after last Thursday's win over the New York Jets.
Credit: Ken Blaze
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) celebrates after running back Carlos Hyde (not pictured) scores a touchdown during the second half against the New York Jets at FirstEnergy Stadium.

4:45 p.m.-Baker Mayfield honored to earn opportunity to start at QB for Cleveland Browns

BEREA, Ohio -- Rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield did not have to wait long to take over the reins of the Cleveland Browns’ offense, as after leading the team to a 21-17 come-from-behind victory over the New York Jets last Thursday, he was elevated to the first-team offense.

Mayfield will make his first regular-season NFL start when the Browns take on the Oakland Raiders at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on Sunday.

“It’s an honor,” Mayfield said after the announcement became public. “That’s what I wanted to be, though. I wanted to be the starting quarterback. I wanted to play. It’s just human nature. I’m happy, but it’s just the beginning.”

Prior to Mayfield entering last Thursday’s game against the Jets, the Browns’ offense sputtered through the first half, as Tyrod Taylor struggled to find any kind of a rhythm and completed just four of his 14 attempts for 19 yards before a concussion brought his night to a premature end.

With Taylor suffering the concussion in the first half, Mayfield entered the game, completed 17 of his 23 attempts for 201 yards and led the Browns to 21 of the final 24 points scored, all of which combined to give Cleveland the comeback victory.

Mayfield engineered four scoring drives in the win over the Jets.

“Absolutely, that’s how I want it,” Mayfield said of earning the starting job. “You want to have to work for it. You’ve got to earn it and you’ve got to have that mentality. You want to work for everything you do to have success. That’s why success is so much more fun when you have to work for it.”

Credit: Matt Florjancic, WKYC Digital Sports
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield winds up to throw a pass during Monday's practice at team headquarters in Berea.

Mayfield and the Browns started their work week with Monday’s practice in Berea, and he felt the first on-field drills went well.

“We had a good first day of practice,” Mayfield said. “It’s about building blocks. Like I said about blocking out the outside noise, the distractions, that’s one thing. We’ve got the ‘next man up’ mentality, and now, we’ve just got to roll with it.

“It’s nice to get reps. To slowly build that timing and chemistry, to be able to do that, you start to get into a rhythm, and so, I’m happy with how I played without the reps. Right now, I have very, very high expectations for myself. Having a full week of practice and being able to get the reps, we should be in tune by Sunday and be ready to go.”

Credit: Matt Florjancic, WKYC Digital Sports
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield looks for an open receiver after taking a snap during Monday's practice at team headquarters in Berea.

Chosen with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft after a Heisman Trophy-winning campaign at the University of Oklahoma last season, Mayfield is well aware of the Browns’ history of starting quarterbacks since their return to the league in 1999.

In fact, during his press conference at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine, Mayfield said if any quarterback could turn around the Browns, it would be him. However, heading into his first NFL start, Mayfield is not worried about being the 30th quarterback to make a start in the last 20 years.

“It’s 2018,” Mayfield said. “Don’t really care.”

1:00 p.m.-BAKER MAYFIELD NAMED STARTING QUARTERBACK

CLEVELAND -- The Baker Mayfield era is here.

The Cleveland Browns announced Monday that Mayfield will be their starting quarterback.

Mayfield engineered four scoring drives and led the Browns to a 21-17 come-from-behind victory over the New York Jets at FirstEnergy Stadium last Thursday night, and will make his first-ever regular-season start against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum next Sunday.

“He has that magnetism,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said following last week’s win over the Jets. “He has it. He is still a young player. He has a lot of work to do. He has got to keep working. It was his coming out party. It is just really ironic that it happened that the quarterback on the other side was a rookie, too. Baker did some good things tonight. He truly did.”

Prior to Mayfield entering the game, the Browns’ offense sputtered through the first half, as Tyrod Taylor struggled to find any kind of a rhythm and completed just four of his 14 attempts for 19 yards before a concussion brought his night to a premature end.

With Taylor suffering the concussion in the first half, Mayfield entered the game, completed 17 of his 23 attempts for 201 yards and led the Browns to 21 of the final 24 points scored, all of which combined to give Cleveland the come-from-behind win.

Not one to shy away from the moment, Mayfield came out firing and completed back-to-back throws for a combined 31 yards, and after being stripped of the football on a sack, came back and threw a 16-yard completion to wide receiver Jarvis Landry on the ensuing play.

“It makes a huge difference,” Jackson said of solid quarterback play. “You guys have seen this organization for years, all of you have. The difference has been the quarterback play. The quarterback play needed to improve and be better. That is what you saw when he came into the game and started to play like he did.

“You saw the offense start to move and the ball start to matriculate down the field. That position is huge. We know that. We knew that we drafted the right guy. I knew that that was the right guy, but it was going to be the right timing. Nobody knew how that was going to happen. This is how it has unfolded.”

Credit: Matt Florjancic, WKYC Digital Sports
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield prepares to throw a pass downfield during Monday's practice at team headquarters in Berea.

Mayfield went on to lead three more scoring drives, including two that were punctuated with rushing touchdowns from Carlos Hyde.

With the Browns trailing the Jets by three points, 17-14, and less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Mayfield engineered a 15-play drive that travelled 75 yards.

Despite having a touchdown taken off the scoreboard when Landry was flagged for an illegal block, Mayfield showed confidence in the young veteran receiver when he found him for a 12-yard gain that got back all of the penalty yardage and then some.

Then, Hyde rushed for the go-ahead touchdown.

“He took advantage of the moment and the opportunity,” Landry said. “We always have seen him make these plays. As far back as when the Baker Mayfield story started, he has always made these types of plays. It is awesome to be a part of it.”

11:00 a.m.-BROWNS RESUME PRACTICE

BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns are set to resume practice at their Berea training facility and are expected to name rookie Baker Mayfield their new starting quarterback after last Thursday's win over the New York Jets.

Mayfield engineered four scoring drives and led the Browns to a 21-17 come-from-behind victory over the New York Jets at FirstEnergy Stadium Thursday night, and will make his first-ever regular-season start against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Alameda Coliseum next Sunday.

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