CLEVELAND — Just ahead of kickoff between the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos on Thursday night, Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported that in addition to a torn labrum, Baker Mayfield also has a fractured humerus bone in his left shoulder.
But while the news appeared to seemingly delay Mayfield's return to action, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said that it remains possible that his starting quarterback will be ready to face the Pittsburgh Steelers when Cleveland returns to action on Oct. 31.
"Of course there's a chance for all of it," Stefanski answered when asked if Mayfield could return in time to play Pittsburgh. "But we're too early to give you a good number."
Mayfield initially suffered a torn labrum while attempting to make a tackle in the Browns' Week 2 win over the Houston Texans. While he played through the injury without missing a snap, he reaggravated it taking a sack from Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt last week.
While he returned to finish the game without missing an offensive play, Mayfield revealed to Glazer that he suffered the fractured bone in his shoulder on the same play. The No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft said that he won't be able to play until the broken bone is healed.
“I need that fracture to heal for me to get back out there,” Mayfield told Glazer.
In Mayfield's place, veteran backup Case Keenum led Cleveland to a 17-14 win over the Broncos, improving the Browns' record to 4-3 on the season. In addition to Mayfield, Cleveland was without several key players, including running backs Nick Chubb (calf) and Kareem Hunt (calf) on Thursday night.
"I'm not going to the specifics of Baker's injury at this time," Stefanski said. "He's another guy that's also fighting and he'll be back out there as soon as he can."