Mayfield not afraid to confront Browns’ top WRs
Max Kellerman is confident that Odell Beckham Jr. will have a big season with the Browns. (0:54)
BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has already shown that he isn’t afraid to get after his star wide receivers.
Over the weekend, Mayfield briefly screamed at his receiving corps for not working their way back to him while he was scrambling.
Mayfield explained Wednesday that blowing up on them that way was about getting on the same page as the offense.
“Those guys know that’s a big part of our offense. And they know that,” said Mayfield, who can be a prolific playmaker through the air scrambling outside the pocket. “It’s just the fact that if we get lazy and let things slide — we need to be open to communicating right now.
“That’s what the good teams do.”
Among the big questions surrounding the upstart Browns this training camp has been how star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will gel with the second-year quarterback.
Mayfield noted that so far he and Beckham — along with leading returning receiver Jarvis Landry — have been able to talk through any missteps or miscues that have surfaced on the field as they continue to establish chemistry.
“Absolutely. And there’s an appreciation from my end that [Beckham] has been able to come communicate and talk through things,” Mayfield said. “Just being able to talk through things and see it from their perspective and mine is really good.”
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Coach Freddie Kitchens has said that he has no issue with Mayfield yelling at his receivers or any other player on the team.
“I expect my quarterback to get everybody on the same page,” said Kitchens, a former quarterback at Alabama. “That’s what I want.”
Mayfield added that when he does get on teammates, he considers it paramount to address it with them later.
“I’m not going to be a jackass. I’m gonna talk through it,” he said. “I’m gonna harp on it, then I’m going to talk to them. And like I said, we need to be on the same page.”