Broncos, Browns on playoff fringe ahead of matchup
NFL hikes salary cap to $190 million in 2019
DENVER: The Denver Broncos were high on quarterback Baker Mayfield long before he was selected first overall in the NFL draft in April. They hope to keep him from beating them on Saturday night.
Mayfield, the brash, outspoken Cleveland Browns rookie, visits Denver for a Week 15 showdown with both teams clinging to slim postseason hopes. The Browns (5-7-1) are having their best season in years and are coming off a 26-20 win over Carolina.
The Broncos (6-7) had their three-game winning streak ended at San Francisco on Sunday in a game they desperately needed. Denver was feeling good after getting back to .500 and into the thick of the wild-card race, but as has been the case this season, it struggled against a young quarterback.
The Broncos have lost to rookies Sam Darnold (New York Jets) and Nick Mullens (49ers) and twice to second-year star Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs). They did they beat Josh Rosen of the Arizona Cardinals and Jeff Driskel of the Cincinnati Bengals, and they have another chance against Mayfield on Saturday.
“He’s got a neat personality,” Denver coach Vance Joseph said after practice Tuesday. “It’s kind of a-it’s loose, but it’s tight. Very, very intelligent, but a very, very confident person.” Mayfield could find success against a banged-up secondary that will be without Pro Bowl cornerback Chris Harris Jr., who sustained a fractured left fibula against the Bengals on Dec. 2. Harris said he is improving, but he won’t be ready for Saturday.
Without him, and with the status of Tramaine Brock (ribs) and Isaac Yiadom (separated right shoulder) in question, Denver is vulnerable on the back end. The Broncos signed rookie safety Trey Marshall off the practice squad Tuesday to add to their depth.
The Browns have the weapons to take advantage, with Mayfield showing plenty of poise and wide receiver Jarvis Landry running routes. They can mix things up with running back Nick Chubb.
The biggest turnaround for Cleveland has come after the firings of head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Gregg Williams is now the interim head coach, and Freddie Kitchens was promoted to offensive coordinator.
With Kitchens calling plays, Mayfield has thrown 11 touchdown passes in five games, and his passer rating is 114.4 compared to from 78.9 under Haley. With the short week, both teams practiced Tuesday instead of having a regular day off. For Denver, linebacker Shaquil Barrett (hip), Harris, wide receiver Courtland Sutton (quadriceps), Yiadom and defensive tackle Derek Wolfe (concussion) did not practice.
Joseph said Sutton should play Saturday but didn’t have an update on Wolfe. Tight end Orson Charles (ankle), tackle Austin Corbett (foot), defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (biceps), cornerback Denzel Ward (concussion) and center JC Tretter (ankle) did not practice for Cleveland. Tretter has been dealing with the ankle injury for two months but has battled through the past seven games. He is normally held out of practice to stay ready for games.
“From a guy who barely practices all week to have the game plan down and then fight through it on Sundays for everybody else, it is great to have,” Mayfield told the Cleveland Plain Dealer after the Sunday game. “He is a very, very important piece out there to have to be able to make calls and direct guys the right way and lead.”
Meanwhile, the NFL announced Tuesday that the salary cap will rise to about $190 million in 2019, a jump from $177.2 million this season. The league informed teams that the projected range is from $187 million to $191.1 million.
That marks a 40-percent increase since the 2014 season ($133.0 million) and the sixth consecutive year the cap has climbed by at least $10 million. “Total projected player costs, including benefits, will be more than $7.3 billion in 2019,” the league said in a statement. The exact salary cap figure will be determined before free agency opens on March 13.