Baker Mayfield is playing through a partially torn labrum sustained during the Browns‘ Week 2 victory over the Texans, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The injury — which has not kept Mayfield out of practices or the Browns’ last two games — is not expected to require surgery.
Mayfield has worn a shoulder harness during Cleveland’s past two contests (wins over the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings.) When asked by reporters if the harness affects his play, Mayfield responded, “It shouldn’t, no.”
Mayfield endured his worst statistical performance of the season against the Vikings, as he threw for just 155 yards while completing fewer than 50% of his attempts. He was also sacked three times after being taken down five times during Cleveland’s win over Chicago a week earlier.
Mayfield did not mention any physical ailments when asked to assess his most recent performance. Instead, Mayfield praised Cleveland’s defense, which held the Vikings to just seven points and 255 total yards.
“(They were) good enough for us to win when I’m playing quarterback like that,” Mayfield said, via the team’s website. “Thankfully they played like that. … There’s a lot of easy throws there that I think I missed.”
If Mayfield’s injury leaves him physically compromised, look for the Browns to lean more on running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Chubb leads the Browns with 362 rushing yards through four games, while Hunt has run for 234 yards. Hunt has also caught 12 of 15 targets for 121 yards. Last season, the duo fell less than 160 yards shy of becoming the fifth pair of teammates to run for over 1,000 yards in a season.
Cleveland’s next game is this Sunday in Los Angeles against the Chargers, who are also 3-1 after defeating the Raiders on Monday night.
Can the Browns repeat their epic 11-win season? How will Bake Mayfield fare in year No. 4? Download the CBS Sports app to get the latest news out of Cleveland, as well as analysis from our team of football gurus. If you already have the app, make sure to set the Browns as your favorite team for lightning-quick updates.
