Mayfield will lead Browns regardless
BEREA, Ohio — Baker Mayfield intends to conquer, not divide.
Although drafted by the win-starved Cleveland Browns with the No. 1 overall pick to be their quarterback of the future, Mayfield said Friday he plans to be a leader from the outset even if he doesn’t start as a rookie.
Tyrod Taylor is the team’s presumptive opening-week starter against Pittsburgh, and while Mayfield intends to compete for the job in training camp, he won’t allow personal ambition to get in the way of team goals.
He won’t step on any toes.
“It’s not about individuals,” Mayfield said as the Browns opened their three-day rookie minicamp. “They brought him and I in because we’re both team-oriented guys. He’s the starter, and all I can do is help us out. So it’s not going to be something that separates the locker room. We’re not going to be fighting over who’s the man in the locker room.
“I’m a team-oriented guy and I just want to win.”
Mayfield’s leadership and drive were part of the self-assured Oklahoma quarterback’s appeal to the Browns, who believe — in time — he can turn around a team that has gone 1-31 the past two seasons.
