Josh Gordon could be in line for a big year in Cleveland. Photo Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Baker Mayfield has seen the bar raised as he gets acclimated to life in the NFL.
For starters, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and top overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft had his eyes opened after throwing to Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon.
“I’ve never seen anybody like him, bar none. He’s definitely gifted,” Mayfield said, per multiple media outlets.
With a significant learning curve in play, Mayfield has taken a backseat behind fellow quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Drew Stanton at organized team activities. Mayfield, however, was elevated to leading the No. 2 offense on Tuesday and is expected to spend a bit more time throwing to Gordon as well as offseason acquisition Jarvis Landry at minicamp.
“Pretty impressive,” Mayfield said. “Those guys are Pro Bowlers and great players for a reason. Unbelievable leaders and just the way they carry themselves. It’s fun to be around. It’s fun to watch and then also you get to throw it to them. It makes it fun.”
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, Gordon had an NFL-best 1,646 receiving yards to go along with 87 catches and nine touchdowns in 14 games during the 2013 season. Multiple suspensions for repeated violations of the league’s substance-abuse policy followed for Gordon, who has played in just 10 games in the last four years.
Landry signed a five-year, $75.5 million contract extension with the Browns shortly after the team acquired him in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. Cleveland sent a fourth-round pick (123rd overall) in 2018 NFL Draft and a seventh-round selection in 2019 to Miami.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Dolphins, Landry had a league-leading 112 receptions last season for 987 yards and nine touchdowns.
Mayfield passed for 4,627 yards and accounted for 48 touchdowns with just six interceptions while leading Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff last season.
