In Cleveland, the Baker Mayfield train is already gathering speed.
Mayfield, the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick, will not be the starter for the Cleveland Browns, something head coach Hue Jackson has made clear since he was drafted in April.
However, it does not mean his name is taking a back seat.
"Baker Mayfield has been everything I thought a quarterback should be for our organization thus far," Jackson told reporters Monday. "He’s doing the things that we want him to do the way we want him to do it, and he’s exceeding those things because he’s putting in the time.
"When you’re the first pick of the draft and you walk in, normally some guys walk in with their chests out (as if) it’s about me, me, me. He’s not about that. He’s about the team. He’s truly about the football team and about getting better.”
Through the first five days of Cleveland Browns' training camp, Mayfield's name has been the one getting all the buzz — not starter Tyrod Taylor.
Tyrod Taylor throws a decent ball. Baker Mayfield throws bullets
— Jordan Zirm (@clevezirm) July 28, 2018
#BrownsCamp My, Mayfield throws a pretty ball. Over and over.
— Steve Doerschuk (@sdoerschukREP) July 27, 2018
Yes and as he should be....he was the #1 overall pick in this draft. He is showing why the @browns thought so highly of him every day in Berea and it is exciting to see. https://t.co/VM7ZjQCP76
— Nathan Zegura (@NathanZegura) July 31, 2018
Baker Mayfield just hit Rashard Higgins on a deep pass on the right side. Pass went about 40 yards. #Browns
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) July 30, 2018
Couple #Browns observations on Day 3 of camp: Jarvis Landry catches everything; Denzel Ward’s quickness is off the charts; Baker Mayfield showed nice poise on some pocket throws.
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) July 28, 2018
Mayfield, according to Jackson, has done everything the Browns have asked him to do, which included the responsibility of getting a "quarterbacks only" RV given to him by veteran starting quarterback Drew Stanton.
As Mayfield mania continues to build at an exponential rate through the early stages of training camp, the Browns have an interesting conundrum — start their prized possession, or follow the script they laid out when acquiring Taylor and drafting Mayfield with the first pick.
"No, I do not have temptation that way,'' Jackson told reporters. "Baker Mayfield is doing great. Tyrod Taylor is doing great. This thing is going to play out just like I told you it would. I'm not going to change. You guys are judging every day what happens and 'this might happen, that might happen.' I'm not like that. We're going to grow our football team. We're going to grow our quarterbacks.
"Tyrod Taylor is our quarterback. Baker Mayfield is competing and getting better each and every day, still learning the National Football League. He's done a really nice job of learning our system and improving every day. Tyrod Taylor has too, and so has Drew Stanton. We have a really good room. I'm excited about our room."
Whether he starts from day one or at all this season, the former Oklahoma quarterback is making Browns' fans feel confident their organization selected the right guy at No. 1.
I underestimated the Baker train. People in Oklahoma tried to warn us that it flattens everything in it's way. I don't think the Browns were prepared for it either. Steelers fans are going to loathe this guy for years.
— Sunseeker (@SeanPullins) July 30, 2018
The Browns will appear on the first episode of HBO's Hard Knocks 9 p.m. CT, Tuesday on Aug. 7. They begin the preseason against the New York Giants (TV on News 5, WEWS in Cleveland Browns' markets) at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday, Aug. 9.
