If Cookie Monster is to be believed, Baker Mayfield will more than live up to the promise he showed during the second half of his stellar rookie season. When asked to name the greatest quarterback of all time in a segment for Sports Illustrated TV, Sesame Street's favorite fuzzy blue creature with a voracious appetite chose the Cleveland Browns' franchise signal-caller, alluding to both his unique first name and how Mayfield turned the Browns' season around in 2018 after taking the reins from incumbent starter Tyrod Taylor.
“Me love Baker Mayfield,” Cookie Monster told moderator Charlotte Wilder. “How could me not go with guy named Baker? Plus he really turned the Browns into contenders last season, you know? Shout out to Baker.”
Cookie Monster, of course, isn't the only one who loves Mayfield. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft was absolutely electric as a rookie, throwing for 3,725 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions while appearing in 14 games. Even more importantly, after Mayfield took over for good as a starter in a Week 4 matchup with the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland, which became the second team in NFL history the previous season to go 0-16, went a respectable 6-7, finishing the season by winning five of its last seven games.
Expectations for the Browns in 2019 are even higher than their strong end to last season suggests. After bringing in Odell Beckham, Jr., Kareem Hunt, Olivier Vernon, and Sheldon Richardson this offseason, many believe first-year coach Freddie Kitchens' team is the favorite to win the AFC North, an assessment with which Cookie Monster no doubt agrees.
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