The Browns are ready for Baker Mayfield to “cut it loose and play.” That’s the “next step” in the rookie quarterback’s development, interim coach Gregg Williams said Thursday.
“We have his back; now, let’s go,’' Williams said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “You’re a smart enough quarterback, instinctive enough quarterback. We understand that mistakes are going to be made. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Just cut it loose and play, and make faster and faster decisions.
“That’s the No. 1 thing that I’ve tried to convey to him. It’s not just me; it’s everybody -- his teammates having those conversations with him, the other coaches having those conversations with him. That’s the next step for a young quarterback in my mind.”
Mayfield ranks 29th in the league with an 81.5 passer rating, throwing 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions in seven games.
Williams has encouraged Mayfield to wear his “come get some” face.
“He may have [been holding back],’' Browns offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens said. “I don’t think you can play this position scared, and I don’t know that he’s ever played it scared. Sometimes you have to say ‘whatever happens, happens.’ I know the good ones who throw four picks or whatever, and the next time they get an opportunity, they’re going to try to fit it into a window of the size of a window, I don’t know. They don’t care.’'
Mayfield, who lost only six games in three years as the starter at Oklahoma, has a 1-5 record. No matter, the Browns are certain they have found their franchise quarterback. Finally.