CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 23: Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) prior to the National Football League preseason game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns on August 23, 2018, at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Baker Mayfield has yet to play a down in the NFL (for now), but we should still buy into fact that Drew Brees has faith in the rookie QB.
We know what you all are thinking. Why in the world should we trust Drew Brees’ faith in Baker Mayfield? That’s a pretty reasonable question to ask, actually.
The Cleveland Browns’ top draft pick has yet to play a down so far this season, sitting on the bench patiently until Tyrod Taylor, the Browns current No. 1 QB, slowly self-destructs and hands the offense over to their future savior.
We don’t know how he’s going to be in the pros because we haven’t yet seen him throw a pass in a regular season game. Thus, it’s perfectly fair to ask why we should trust in the talents of a rookie who has yet to play.
There is also a good answer to that question as well, believe it or not. The reason why we should have faith in Brees’ faith in Mayfield is that it’s Drew Brees talking here, one of the great QBs of the modern era.
Brees knows a thing or two about being overlooked, which is why he has some sympathy for Mayfield. When he was drafted by the then-San Diego Chargers in 2001, no one would have believed that Brees would have the career he has now. There are a lot of similarities between Brees and Mayfield, which is why, in an interview with ESPN on Wednesday, he stated with certainty that Mayfield could be a better QB than him.
That’s a pretty tall statement on a player who hasn’t seen the field in the regular season yet, but Brees is a Hall of Famer, and he knows talent when he sees talent. With what he sees in Mayfield, we would be foolish not to buy into that optimism.