BEREA, Ohio — Be it about a former coach, a teammate who is requesting a trade or calling for more fan support for home games, Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has no problem letting his opinions be known.
While that sometimes creates waves, the Browns’ front office and coaching staff want Mayfield to be true to himself as the second-year signal-caller develops into his role as a leader of the offense.
“I want him to be who he is, but also, he’s a 24-year-old guy,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said at team headquarters Wednesday. “He’s got a lot of life to live. Baker knows what he’s doing. He’s not a guy that’s just flying by the seat of his pants.
“A lot of people confuse him with somebody who doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s not like that. Don’t ever have a misconception about that. I want everybody to be themselves, and then, it’s up to us to determine if we like that or not. We like Baker, so we want him to continue doing what he’s doing.”
Despite sitting on the bench for the first two-plus games in 2018, Mayfield broke the NFL rookie record with his 27th touchdown throw of the season with 3:24 to play in regulation of a 26-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC North Division clash at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on December 30.
Mayfield’s final scoring pass of the season broke a tie between him, future Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson for the most touchdowns ever thrown by a rookie.
“He’s a little bit more mature than your average 24-year-old man,” Browns general manager John Dorsey said. “Last I looked, wherever he’s been, his teammates have always galvanized to him, and that’s all you can ask for in that locker room.”
After taking over the first-team offense in the second quarter of a Week 3 win over the New York Jets at FirstEnergy Stadium, Mayfield completed 310 of his 486 attempts (63.8 percent) for 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns against 14 interceptions.
Although Mayfield does not get official credit for the victory over the Jets because he came on in relief of an injured Tyrod Taylor, the first-year quarterback guided the Browns to seven wins and the greatest single-year turnaround in franchise history.
Individually, Mayfield set franchise records for the most passing touchdowns and yards by a rookie, and his 3,725 yards rank as the sixth-best single-season in team history, regardless of years of service. Additionally, Mayfield had three of the top five passing yards games by a rookie, as well as the fourth-most accurate season of any Browns quarterback ever.
Under Kitchens’ direction in the second half of the season, Mayfield completed 180 of his 263 attempts (68.4 percent) for 2,254 yards and 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Mayfield averaged 281.75 yards and 2.375 touchdowns per game with Kitchens calling the plays.
“If your teammates support you and love you, that’s what it’s all about because it’s those guys within that locker room,” Dorsey said. “That’s who he is. His competitive zeal on the field is off the chart, and you know what? His teammates love that and respect that. I’m okay with that, too.
“Freddie, I know you have goals and expectations for him coming for next year, but let’s see him grow. I mean, he’s a second-year player. That’s what he is, but he’s a pretty good second-year player, too.”