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The Cleveland Browns plan to bring their No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Baker Mayfield, along slowly. They have long said veteran QB Tyrod Taylor will start ahead of the rookie this season.
According to the last quarterback the Browns picked No. 1 overall, Tim Couch, the team is doing the right thing sitting Mayfield and giving him time to develop.
Article Continues Below“It’s the right thing to do,” Couch told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I know it’s frustrating for Baker not be starting right away, but it will benefit him long term. Getting a chance to learn behind a veteran that’s had some success in the league is a great thing. Especially coming off a winless season, the last thing they should do is just throw Baker out there and say, ‘This is the No. 1 pick in the draft, and he’s going to turn this whole thing around.’
“That’s a lot of pressure to put on a young QB. I love the decision bring him along slowly and let him get comfortable with NFL game first.”
Couch, who was the Browns' top pick in 1999, was supposed to sit behind Ty Detmer as a rookie. But those plans were quickly tossed aside after a disastrous Week 1 loss to the Steelers. Bringing on the rookie to start at quarterback didn’t fix the Browns’ problems, though. Couch was sacked 56 times as they finished 2-12 on the year.
Couch never quite lived up to his billing as the No. 1 pick after that. He’d end up playing only five seasons in the NFL with 59 career starts.
Only time will tell whether Mayfield will end up any differently than Couch even with the benefit of sitting to learn behind veterans like Taylor and Drew Stanton. But to Mayfield’s credit, he’s been exceeding expectations during training camp as Hue Jackson has reported, and learning as much as he can so that he’ll be ready once he does get the starting job.
