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The Browns have Deshaun Watson.
The Browns have Jacoby Brissett.
And the Browns have Baker Mayfield.
At least it seems to stay that way for the time being. And the Browns say they’re okay with that.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Cleveland would like some closure to its situation with Mayfield. But on Tuesday, general manager Andrew Berry told reporters at the annual league meeting that the Browns are in no rush to shed the 2018 No. 1 overall.
“I wouldn’t say we have one specific schedule for the QB room‘ Berry said of TheAthletic.com’s Zac Jackson. “Baker’s a pro, he’s under contract and we’ve got him [cap] Flexibility whether he is on the roster or not. So we don’t really feel pressured to rush into something that is sub-optimal.”
Cleveland is reportedly not looking for a first-round draft pick in exchange for Mayfield — which makes sense given the club’s slim chance of getting one. Berry was asked if the Browns might pay a portion of Mayfield’s $18.8 million guaranteed salary or drop a draft pick as part of a deal for the QB. But Berry said he doesn’t want to get involved in that kind of speculation.
“The reality is quarterbacks are valuable,” Berry said. “Baker is a good player and you can’t have enough good players in your squad. We’ve already planned for it to work and we’ll just see how the next few weeks, the next few months go.”
Eventually, the Browns will find a solution with Mayfield. Given all that has happened in the 2021 season and now the 2022 off-season, it doesn’t seem feasible for him to stay on the roster with Watson and Brissett. But the Browns aren’t changing their public stance even as offseason demand for quarterbacks has petered out with the draft a month from now.
“I think if we look at the QB room, we have three good players at the most important position in the sport,” Berry said. “That’s not to say there aren’t things we’ll be working through over the next few months, but I don’t see it as a bad situation at all. We feel like we have three good ones and a lot of teams are looking for a guy so you don’t mind being deep there and we’re taking it as it goes.