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Gregg Williams: No doubt Baker Mayfield is Browns’ QB of the future

Interim coach Gregg Williams has "no doubt" that rookie Baker Mayfield is the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback of the future.
Credit: USA Today Sports Images
Interim coach Gregg Williams says he has "a very good relationship" with Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield.

CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield has made quite the first impression within the locker room after leading the team to six wins, as well as a 4-2 record since an unprecedented midseason coaching change.

And for that, Mayfield has convinced even the most seasoned of NFL coaches that he is the right man for the job of franchise quarterback for the Browns.

“No doubt in my mind,” Browns interim coach Gregg Williams said Monday. “No doubt in my mind.”

Credit: Isaiah J. Downing
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) attempts a pass in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Broncos Stadium at Mile High in Denver.

Mayfield committed two turnovers against the Denver Broncos, but after the late first-half interception and a fumble on the opening drive of the third quarter, he bounced back in a major way.

Mayfield ended the night 18 of 31 for 188 yards and two touchdowns on the way to a 17-16 road win over the Broncos in Denver, which gave the Browns a 6-7-1 record heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.

“The young man has it,” Williams said. “Each and every week, there are things that are just abundantly clear to how he handles stress, how he handles confusion and how he handles dysfunction. To be really good, you have to be a master of dysfunction.

“The best ones that I have been around handle that and do a great job with it. He has done very well.”

Facing a third-and-nine from the Denver 31-yard line on the opening drive, Mayfield muscled the throw down the field toward wide receiver Breshad Perriman. The 6-foot-3 receiver outleapt veteran defensive back Tramaine Brock and high-pointed the ball just short of the goal line.

As Perriman fell to the turf, he secured the catch and maintained possession all the way through the play, which included a hard landing and a five-yard roll through the end zone for the touchdown.

“Each week is a learning experience,” Williams said. “We can practice, we can meet and we can do everything we want, but you have to be able to learn from the games and learn from the experience at full speed. He does a great job with that.”

Credit: Ron Chenoy
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) looks to pass the ball in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Broncos Stadium at Mile High in Denver.

Since taking over the first-team offense in the second quarter of a Week 3 win over the New York Jets, Mayfield has completed 260 of his 407 attempts (63.9 percent) for 3,065 yards and 21 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, which has led to a 92.6 quarterback rating.

Although Mayfield will not get official credit for the victory over the Jets because he came on in relief, the first-year quarterback has guided the Browns to six wins.

“In all honesty, the great thing about the young man is that he is strutting, walking up and down the hallway talking about the Bengals,” Williams said. “He is, all of a sudden, to everybody else in the room, ‘Let’s not forget about what is up for this week.’

“You guys do not see behind the scenes all of the things that he does on the meetings that he will have when the coaches get done today with different position groups and the meetings that he will have tomorrow minus the coaches being around. You have two pretty good guys right now playing quarterback on each side of the ball. We have to continue to build off of that.”

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