CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns may only be in the early stages of their offseason, but when it comes to Baker Mayfield's future, the team is presenting a united front.
Taking the podium at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked if he still had confidence in Mayfield as Cleveland's starting quarterback. And much like general manager Andrew Berry on Tuesday, Stefanski didn't hesitate to back his signal-caller.
"Yes," Stefanski said. "Yes."
Despite the votes of confidence from Berry and Stefanski -- which continued a trend that has dated back to the start of the offseason --, some skepticism remains. That's largely because Mayfield is coming off an injury-plagued 2021 campaign, which was arguably the worst season of his four-year career.
In January, the No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft underwent shoulder surgery to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder that he suffered in the Browns' Week 2 win over the Houston Texans. And despite rumors of a rift between the two sides late last season, Stefanski said that he has remained in contact with Mayfield since his procedure.
"I've texted with Baker, texted with a bunch of the guys. I haven't been out to visit anyone," Stefanski said. "Just trying to stay in touch with our guys but also understanding this is a dead period, so you want to give them space right now."
But regardless of Berry and Stefanski's endorsements, speculation regarding Cleveland's quarterback position remains, especially with Mayfield entering the final season of his rookie contract without a long-term extension in place. And while Berry didn't rule out the possibility of adding competition to the quarterback room this offseason, Stefanski pushed back on the idea that it hasn't already existed.
"I think all of our players understand it's a competition, you're getting challenged every single day," Stefanski said.