BEREA, Ohio -- Baker Mayfield isn't settling for any predetermined role in his rookie season with the Cleveland Browns.
"I would never get my mind right to be a backup," the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft said a few hours before his first training camp practice. "That's the second that I would be complacent."
To be clear, this is not a player causing a controversy. Mayfield will accept the role he's given; he's not clamoring to start ahead of Tyrod Taylor. But there's a difference between settling and accepting.
"It doesn't matter the position you're in," Mayfield said. "If you're not going to work hard, then you're not going to do It right."
Does he go out on the practice with the mindset to earn the starting job for opening day?
"I go out here to say I'm trying to make this team better and whatever role that is I'm going to try to do that," he said.
The Browns made clear that Mayfield enters his first NFL camp with Tyrod Taylor entrenched as the starting quarterback.
"Playing quarterback in the National Football League is hard," general manager John Dorsey said. "I think we've stated all along, this is for the long-term well-being not only for the player, but for the organization as well."
Mayfield accepts that assessment, just as he accepts the reality that Taylor will get the bulk of the first-team reps. Coach Hue Jackson said he would give Mayfield the reps he needs to grow, but the coach wouldn't even get into whether Mayfield is second or third on the depth chart.
"He's not ready to walk out there right now and play, and that's OK," Jackson said. "We didn't bring him here for that. We brought him here because he's talented, we think he's the future of this organization, we're going to do everything we can to continue to develop him as we go through training camp and preseason, during the season and put him in position that when he does need to play, and when he's ready to play, he'll walk out there and play well."
Jackson added, though, that if Mayfield's "supersedes" the plan, then that will show and the Browns will adjust.
"They're doing everything they think is right, and I believe in that," Mayfield said. "I believe in them."