BEREA, Ohio — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a previous story.
When the Cleveland Browns take the field for their preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, their starting quarterback will remain on the sideline. On Wednesday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski revealed that Baker Mayfield won't play in Saturday's exhibition, with veteran backup Case Keenum starting at quarterback for Cleveland.
"Baker's not going to play in this game, I'll give you that one," said Stefanski, who went on to state that he'll reveal which other players will or won't be playing in Jacksonville on Saturday.
That Mayfield won't be playing on Saturday hardly comes as a surprise considering that the fourth-year quarterback is firmly established as Cleveland's starting signal-caller. At this point, anything Mayfield could gain from playing in an exhibition against the Jaguars is likely outweighed by the possibility that he could suffer an injury heading into a season in which the Browns possess lofty expectations following last season's run to the AFC divisional round.
As for Keenum, Saturday's preseason opener will mark his first significant playing time in a game-like setting for Cleveland after signing a three-year, $18 million contract with the Browns ahead of the 2020 campaign. Last season, Keenum appeared in just two games for Cleveland, completing five of his 10 pass attempts.
Through the first nine seasons of his NFL career, the 33-year-old Keenum has started 62 games, including 14 with the Minnesota Vikings in 2017, where Stefanski was serving as an assistant coach.