BEREA, Ohio — Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield discussed his left shoulder injury and availability for Thursday night's game against the Denver Broncos.
What follows is a full transcript of Mayfield's press conference, courtesy of the Cleveland Browns Media Relations department:
On how his left non-throwing shoulder is feeling:
“Today is better than yesterday, that is for sure. Just kind of back to the basics, trying to get the information down and see where it goes. One day at a time.”
On if he expects to play on Thursday:
“I do. I do.”
On if he has been advised to sit out of Thursday night’s game:
“I am not going to get into the details of that stuff. What I decide and what our team decides, the people I trust are going to be wholeheartedly for the best in my interests in mind so we will talk about it and go from there.”
On how his left non-throwing shoulder injury impacts him:
“I just think I have to be more conscious on any scramble drills or not taking extra shots that are unnecessary. Just protecting myself for longevity-wise of my career.”
On if he will practice today:
“That is to be determined. We are still talking about that.”
On if he will have surgery on the shoulder at some point:
“That I have no idea.”
On how he is handling the mental effects of his injury and other aspects like sleeping:
“Yeah, sleeping is not exactly ideal (laughter). I can get comfortable. I can fall asleep. It is just once I wake up for that first time, go from there. It is what it is.”
On the pain level Sunday after aggravating the shoulder injury:
“That was up there for me. It was definitely different from the last one.”
On how he is managing the pain of the shoulder injury:
“I work with my physiotherapist, Dave (Matthews), and do everything I possibly can to do that. After that, it is just pain tolerance and wanting to be out there for my guys.”
On why it is so important to him to be out there for every game:
“I think that sets the tone. Obviously, if I was in a physical state where I was not able to play to the best of my abilities and I was hurting the team, I would not do that because I care about winning, and I want to give this team the best position to do that. I want to be out there. I want to get healthy. I want to deal with it. That is just what it is about.”
On if his shoulder can improve or become healthy while continuing to play:
“Obviously, it is kind of common sense if you do not take shots to it, it can get healthy.”
On how the Browns can improve on fourth down:
“Execute and get the first down. Execute our job and just get the first down.”
On the balance of determining whether or not he should play while putting the team in the best position to win and when and how that decision will be made:
“It is just evaluation. It is a short week. We are preparing for everybody to be able to play, and that is how everyone needs to prepare regardless. That is the nature of this league. We have had a lot of guys had to step up in different positions, and everybody has to be locked in and know their job, know what is supposed to be going on and what we are trying to get accomplished. We are doing that in the QB room, and we will see how it goes.”
On if his pain level at the moment is closer to how the shoulder felt before Sunday or on Sunday:
“Closer to Sunday, I guess.”
On the results from his recent MRI:
“From Week 2, it was actually completely torn. There was other stuff that was frayed within it. It is just of those things with shoulder injuries like that, you try and stabilize it and you strengthen the muscles and ligaments around it to where you feel that stability and it does not have the likelihood of popping out nearly as much. That is where I am at right now. Luckily, I have a great guy to work with to be able to do those things, and (assistant athletic trainer) Pat Rock, one of our trainers, I am with him every day. It is managing that and trying to prevent it from happening again, but on a fall like the game Sunday, anybody’s shoulder probably would have popped out in how I fell. It was kind of a freak deal.”
On if there was any more damage to the shoulder with it popping out again:
“It was not ideal by any means. I am not going to get into the details, but it is not the same.”
On saying he expects to play on Thursday night and what could ultimately tell him that he can’t or should not play:
“I think whenever you decide to get some of these reps, get the pads on and simulate some of these game throws, if I am not able to do and be 100 percent, that is where I would be out. I have to make that decision. Only I know how my body feels. If anyone questions whether I am hindering the team and going out there injured, that is just not right. It is my decision. I get to say whether I am able to play or not, and that is just how it is.”
On the impact of RB Kareem Hunt’s injury:
“It is tough to lose a guy like that. He is a high-energy guy. He hates not being out there. He is a football guy. He wants to be out there playing. That is where you saw just the raw emotion after his calf got hurt. It was not the pain for him. It was realizing that he is going to be out for a little bit. That hurts from a spark standpoint and explosiveness on offense, but we are coaching our next guy up to be ready to go. We are going to have to get prepared with whoever we have out there.”
On if Browns players are rallying around the fact members of the team are battling to play through injury:
“No one is going to give us any mercy or feel bad for us. I am not doing it to send a message. I am doing it because we need to win. We are 3-3, and the most important game is the next one. We need to go out there, do our damn job and find a way to win on a short week. It is as simple as that. That is a part of the culture and winning-mentality mindset that we have been trying to build here is you should want to be out there, you should want to be playing for this team and you should want to be fighting for the guys next to you. If not, that is not the type of guys we want here. We are trying to continue to build that mentality and that culture.”
On the balance of extending plays while protecting his shoulder and not leaving himself vulnerable to fumbles:
“It is just ball security. I think it was just pure laziness with not having two hands on it. Those guys are going to be coming after me. Especially those guys who the Cardinals had up front, they are going to be pursuing, and if they miss on the first one, they are going to gang up and rally to try and tackle. You have to have two hands on the ball and just take care of it.”
On how close he was to being able to connect with WR Odell Beckham Jr. on the first fumble:
“Pretty close – half of a second, milliseconds or whatever you want to describe it. It was pretty close.”
On if he considers the break between Thursday night’s game and the Pittsburgh game as an opportunity to rest:
“No, I have this game on my mind and this one only.”
On considering how the rest after the Thursday night game could help him:
“I could not care less. I am trying to win this one.”
On when the shoulder generally feels better during a typical week after a game:
“It just depends on the game and the flow of the game – did I take a shot on it or did I not. It is a bunch of different variables. I can’t give you a straight-up answer.”
On if he expects WR Jarvis Landry to return this week:
“I do not know. I think there are a lot of things that are going to be decided later on in the week.”
On the potential boost to the team if Landry is able to play this week:
“Obviously, getting Jarvis back, that helps with the mentality. Obviously, a tremendous player, but leadership wise, losing a guy like (RB) Nick (Chubb) and Kareem and we are banged up so for Jarvis to be able to show up would be huge obviously. We would love that.”