Year two of the Baker Mayfield era for the Cleveland Browns is underway. The mercurial quarterback played in their preseason game on Thursday versus the Washington Redskins. In his first drive, Mayfield drove down the field quickly and capped it off with a 24-year strike to wide receiver Rashard Higgins for a touchdown.
Baker throwing DARTS.@CALLME_WOOD on the catch.@Browns TD! #WASvsCLE pic.twitter.com/m78YnvCTXy
— NFL (@NFL) August 8, 2019
On the drive, Mayfield went 5/6 for 77 yards. He found running back Dontrell Hilliard twice for 28 years, running back Nick Chubb once for 14, wide receiver Jaelen Strong once for 11, and Higgins for the touchdown. The Browns sat Mayfield after the first drive, subbing in veteran Drew Stanton.
Mayfield set the NFL rookie record for touchdowns in 2018 with 27, despite playing just 14 games. He completed 63.8 percent of his throws on the year for 3,725 yards, and also threw 14 interceptions. He finished his rookie season with a 93.7 passer rating, and is, by all accounts, the Browns' franchise quarterback.
Higgins is now in his fourth year with the Browns and continues to work his way up from reserve to starter. His career stat line includes 115 targets for 72 catches, 961 yards, and six touchdowns. In 2018, he played in 13 games, started one, and tallied 39 receptions (73.6% catch rate) for 572 yards and four scores.
The Mayfield-led Browns are one of the most improved teams of the offseason. Before the draft, the team added Odell Beckham Jr., Sheldon Richardson, Olivier Vernon, and Kareem Hunt to the mix. In the draft, they saw LSU prospect and cornerback Greedy Williams fall into their laps. The culmination is a Super Bowl squad ready to set the NFL landscape ablaze.
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