Cleveland Browns Irony: Hue may be saved by the quarterback he wouldn’t play

In a bit of irony, Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson may get his job saved by the very quarterback he was adamant shouldn’t play yet

Hue Jackson has been defiant about playing rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield. The Cleveland Browns head coach wouldn’t even entertain the idea of Baker getting practice reps — or preseason reps with the first team.

Then the season started and Taylor struggled. So the question about Baker came and Jackson stubbornly stuck to the plan. You know…the plan.

Keep Mayfield on the bench so he can “learn” the game while the grizzled veteran leads the way. Yes, the plan that no team uses any longer. The plan that was there simply for the sake of saying there was a plan. It was also there as a scapegoat to save Jackson’s job.

He wanted to show enough with Taylor and sell the hope of Mayfield in the future. That could save his job for one more season — maybe. Then Mayfield messed up the plan when he came in earlier than expected and gets them their first win in 635 days.

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All the credit for that win isn’t going to Jackson. No, he was adamant that Tyrod Taylor was the guy and he stuck by him until Taylor had to leave due to injury.

Then he lucked into the Mayfield show as the young man led them to Hue’s second win ever in Cleveland.

What’s most ironic is the very kid Jackson didn’t want to play could save his job. Even though Jackson wanted nothing to do with Mayfield, he saved the coach — and the team — from another loss on Thursday Night.

And for Hue, that loss (which he was headed to before Mayfield stepped in) may have been enough to get him ousted.

We’ll never know that for sure, but the Browns look a lot more promising now and even though Jackson will try and take all the credit — he never wanted any of this. He wanted the better player sitting all season long.

That’s how you go 635 days without a win. The good news is, after Thursday, there’s no way he can keep the better player sidelined.