Baker Mayfield becoming a vocal leader for Cleveland Browns

This is the first offseason where Baker Mayfield has been the unquestioned starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns and he’s quickly turning into a vocal leader

Last year, Baker Mayfield was dangerous. And that was after an offseason in which he wasn’t allowed to be the true face of the Cleveland Browns. As a rookie, Mayfield was the second-string quarterback as head coach Hue Jackson did all he could to quiet the No. 1 overall pick.

He wanted him to sit back and watch as Tyrod Taylor led the team, which meant Mayfield was a more subdued version of himself. We can argue all day whether Jackson was right in trying this approach (he wasn’t) but the fact is, we don’t have to.

The 2019 Browns team is free from Jackson’s reign and they’re a much better team because of it. They’re also going to be better under center as Mayfield is quickly growing into a vocal leader for this team.

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During their first day of on-field action during mandatory minicamps, Mayfield showed that. According to Doug Lesmerises of Cleveland.com, he called out running back Duke Johnson saying any awkwardness from his trade request was “self-inflicted.” He also defended Odell Beckham, Jr. for choosing to work out away from the team during voluntary OTAs.

Mayfield also touched on how he feels about being the face of the franchise. He said last season was hard as he had to sit back and watch, but this year he’s looking forward to being the leader that he knows he was meant to be.

"“This is the time that I looked forward to, being that guy,” Mayfield said via Lesmerises of Cleveland.com. “I’ve got to earn that respect from everybody. We’re going to have new faces in that locker room, and I’ve got to continue to work every day. It’s not like I’m just that guy now. I’ve got to continue to work every day and to show people that I have that same mindset.”"

In addition to his own self-confidence, Mayfield is armed with a talented offense that includes stars such as OBJ, Jarvis Landry, and Nick Chubb — just to name a few. He also has a head coach in Freddie Kitchens that showed an ability to build an offense around Baker on the fly.

While that proved to be hard for opponents to deal with, the two have even more time to put this offense together this season. And Mayfield has even more control as he’s proving to be the man right out of the gates.