Cleveland Browns: Biggest concerns heading into the regular season

Will Tyrod Taylor have a short leash all season?

The Browns organization shut down any talk of a quarterback competition during training camp and the preseason. But now that the regular season is starting, it creates the question of how long of a leash will Tyrod Taylor have this season.

It is concerning if his leash his too short or too long. The Browns do not want to give the impression that he will be pulled for Baker Mayfield at the first sign of Taylor struggling. But the Browns also do not want to give him such a long leash that he feels there is practically no chance he will be pulled.

By the way the organization has talked about Taylor, it is more likely that he will have a long leash in the regular season. With Taylor at the helm, the expectation is that he will be able to lead the team to some wins this season.

But what happens if the Browns do not win one of their first five or six games and Hue Jackson is on the verge of losing his job? Jackson may decide he needs to change things up and start playing Mayfield to try and save his job.

No matter what happens, Taylor knows there is pressure for him to win games this season. Any quarterback having a short leash will play differently, and that can be concerning because they will decide to try and force big plays to happen.

The Browns need to make sure Taylor knows that this is his team. And unless something catastrophic happens during the regular season, Taylor will be the quarterback the entire season, letting Taylor relax and just play football. But the pressure of having Mayfield behind him is enough to be concerned about how Taylor will react.