Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield’s handling of coaching change shows he’s the guy

The Cleveland Browns shifted course as midseason approached and rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield handled it like a pro, which shows he is the guy

Forget what the naysayers are throwing out there, this is an exciting time to be a Cleveland Browns fan. Sure, their record is 2-6-1, but this season was never really one where they expected to contend for a title. Instead, it was one where they wanted to see substantial progress toward becoming a respectable team — and they have done just that.

One of the biggest improvements has simply been moving on from head coach Hue Jackson. The losing culture he built there wasn’t going away until he did and after foolishly bringing him back this season, they finally wised up after last week.

While the change was necessary, it still had to be weird for rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield. Not only was Jackson out the door, but so too was offensive coordinator Todd Haley. That meant in his first season, Mayfield had to start over.

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And he handled it like a champ.

While there were whispers Mayfield wasn’t too upset about losing Jackson, he still had to learn a new coach and a new coordinator on the fly. And while the Browns lost, they did play well on offense and weren’t completely embarrassed against one of the best teams in the entire NFL.

What’s more important is Mayfield came out looking even more like the franchise guy. He didn’t throw Jackson under the bus even if he wasn’t fond of him as some reports suggested — and we all know if the roles were reversed Jackson would have thrown Baker under the bus.

Mayfield also spoke highly of new coordinator Freddie Kitchens after the game but said the main reason he believes in this team is new general manager John Dorsey.

"“That is where it starts. He established a culture there (in Kansas City). He brought in the right pieces. You have to get people to believe in that. It doesn’t matter who you have if you have that fixed, then you can go a long way. We are working on that. Like I said earlier, we have to keep getting better.” — Mayfield said via Matthew Florjancic of WKYC"

That’s the kind of talk that a team with a franchise quarterback is used to hearing, and the Browns finally have it in Mayfield.

Changing a coach midseason is never easy, and doing so with a rookie quarterback is even more difficult. Mayfield proved his worth by taking on the tough task and making sure that his team knows they’re headed on the right path.