CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns' 17-14 win over the Denver Broncos last Thursday night wasn't the prettiest. But when it came to the play of backup quarterback Case Keenum, who started in place of an injured Mayfield, at least one Browns starter felt like Cleveland's offense didn't miss a step.
"It's very good. We didn't feel any drop-off," left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. answered when asked about the Browns' confidence level in Keenum on Monday. "Case is a veteran guy. He's probably played in more games than I have my whole career. There's no drop-off. Everything felt very smooth, he ran the offense smooth. Everything was fine."
That's not to say there weren't any differences Keenum under center. While Mayfield's fiery personality has been well documented, Wills said that the 33-year-old Keenum takes a different approach to engineering Cleveland's offense.
"They're both leaders in their own way," Wills said. "There's not anything distinct, they're just leaders in their own way. They have their different way of getting everybody fired up. Just different players, but they're both very good leaders.
Wills later noted on Twitter that his comments were in no way a criticism of Mayfield -- just praise of Keenum. And with Mayfield's status uncertain moving forward as he continues to recover from a torn labrum and fractured bone in his shoulder, the Browns may need to continue to rely on their veteran backup if they're going to keep pace in a crowded AFC playoff race.