5 impacts Baker Mayfield will have on the Cleveland Browns as starting QB

1. A deep threat

Under throwing receivers, as Tyrod Taylor regularly did in his 2 1/2 games as starter, will be a thing of the past.

With Mayfield under center, the the Cleveland Browns will be able to go downfield, thus keeping opposing defenses honest near the line of scrimmage.

Mayfield showed what he’s capable of when it comes to stretching the field vertically, as the rookie was 5-for-9 for 93 yards on throws of 10-plus yards.

For comparisons sake , Taylor was 12-for-31 for 299 yards on throws of 10-plus yards. The throws that came up short will haunt Browns’ fans for the remainder of the season now that the franchise is set to play meaningful games heading into October for the first time since 2007.

It’s also worth pointing out that Mayfield is more suited to run Todd Haley’s offense because of his ability to stretch the field. Haley had Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, who was no stranger to letting ripping the ball downfield.

Mayfield averaged 11.1 yards per attempt as a junior at Oklahoma, and 11.7 yards per throw during his Heisman winning campaign in 2017.

In Cleveland, we’ve grown accustomed to watching bad quarterbacks and have a great sense of what one looks like. Baker differs in how he he constantly keep his eyes downfield.