Having two goods QBs? It's possible
Browns, for once, could have that luxury with Taylor and Mayfield.
It’s the preseason, so EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — everything should be taken with a grain of salt, but the Browns might actually have competent quarterbacks — plural.
The performances of starter Tyrod Taylor and rookie No. 1 overall draft pick Baker Mayfield in Thursday’s preseason opener against the New York Giants proved to be an encouraging start for a team plagued by abysmal quarterback play for the vast majority of its expansion era.
The Browns defeated the New York Giants 20-10 at MetLife Stadium. The final scores of exhibition games don’t matter, though, and the Browns reminded everyone last year when they followed a 4-0 preseason with a 0-16 regular season.
If the Browns gain respectability this year, after going 1-31 the past two seasons, the revamped quarterback room will be the central cause.
Since general manager John Dorsey traded a third-round pick (No. 65 overall) to the Buffalo Bills for Taylor in March, the Browns have planned to enter the Sept. 9 regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers with Taylor as the starter and let their young quarterback of the future — they chose Mayfield for the role — watch and learn from the sideline.
Sticking to the plan would be wise because, so
far, it’s working.
The Browns hope Mayfield will be their starter for the next 15 years, and there’s no need to rush it. Not with a winning quarterback on the roster who can help ease Mayfield’s transition from college. Taylor is 22-21 as a starter and helped the Bills end their 17-year playoff drought last season.
Taylor didn’t disappoint in his Browns debut. His first pass went for 32 yards to go-to wide receiver Jarvis Landry, though Landry’s subsequent 15-yard taunting penalty foreshadowed a stalled drive. On third-and-7 from the Browns’ 49-yard line, Taylor scrambled for 2 yards after he couldn’t find anyone open.
Using a no-huddle offense during the next possession, Taylor quickly found a rhythm. After a 3-yard run by Duke Johnson and a 6-yard catch by receiver Rashard Higgins, Taylor connected with Higgins for 21 yards and tight end David Njoku for a 36-yard touchdown on back-to-back plays. Njoku beat linebacker Alec Ogletree, caught Taylor’s pass near the 20-yard line and reached the end zone, putting the Browns ahead 7-3 with 2:55 left in the first quarter.
Taylor and virtually the entire starting offense left the game on a high note and sat out the rest of the night.
In Taylor’s two series, both against the Giants’ starting defense, he went 5-of-5 passing for 99 yards and a touchdown. He posted a perfect passer rating of 158.3. He rushed once for 2 yards without taking a sack.
Mayfield entered with 1:31 left in the first quarter, played into the fourth quarter and wound up with an impressive NFL debut. In seven series, all against backups, he went 11-of-20 passing for 212 yards and two touchdowns with a rating of 125.4. He ran three times for 13 yards and took a sack.
He went three-andout during his first series but showed his ability to rebound by orchestrating a 14-play, 72-yard drive the next series. He converted twice on third down and once on fourth down to set up his 10-yard touchdown pass to Njoku in the back of the end zone. Njoku grabbed the ball between cornerbacks Leonard Johnson and Chris Lewis-Harris, giving the Browns a 13-3 advantage with 6:43 left in the second quarter.
Mayfield’s pass on a twopoint attempt then went off the hands of rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway. It was the third pass that went off Callaway’s hands in the first half.
However, Callaway, a fourth-round pick, redeemed himself with a dominant second half, highlighted by a 54-yard touchdown catch from Mayfield. Callaway beat Leonard Johnson on a short slant route and raced to the end zone as the Browns went ahead 20-10 with 13:37 left in the fourth quarter.
The Browns rested thirdstring quarterback Drew Stanton, instead summoning undrafted rookie Brogan Roback to replace Mayfield with 10:58 left in the fourth quarter.
No. 1 defense
The starting defense settled down after a rough start and allowed one field goal in two series against an offense void of star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who got the night off.
Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley, the No. 2 overall pick, ripped off a 39-yard run on the first play from scrimmage, and Browns rookie cornerback Denzel Ward, the No. 4 overall selection, had a taunting penalty extend the drive after an incomplete Eli Manning pass on thirdand-2 from the Browns’ 40.
Four plays later, the Giants settled for Aldrick Rosas’ 42-yard field goal that gave them a 3-0 lead with 11:23 left in the opening quarter.
Linebacker Mychal Kendricks, a free-agent pickup in June, substituted for Christian Kirksey for the Browns’ next defensive series. On third-and-7 from the Giants’ 39, Kendricks sacked Manning for a 10-yard loss. The play allowed the Browns to overcome a third-down offside penalty against defensive end Myles Garrett that led to a first down.
The Browns’ incumbent starting linebackers Kirksey, Jamie Collins and Joe Schobert won’t be able to keep Kendricks off the field. At the very least, he’ll rotate with them. And there’s a chance he’ll flat out start over one of them.