Browns OC Freddie Kitchens: Baker Mayfield's Growth of 'Utmost Importance'

Recently promoted Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens said Thursday the maturation of rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield is of the "utmost importance" during the second half of the 2018 NFL season.

Pat McManamon of ESPN.com provided Kitchens' thoughts on Mayfield as he takes the reins of the Cleveland offense after the team fired head coach Hue Jackson and former offensive coordinator Todd Haley on Monday following a 2-5-1 start.

"I think Baker's done a very good job," he said. "People are going to make adjustments to him. He's making adjustments also. But it's a big deal to play quarterback in the National Football League. You can't just roll somebody out there and do it. So he's going to have some learning curves too that he has to get through."

Mayfield, the first pick in the 2018 draft, made his debut earlier than expected after Tyrod Taylor, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Buffalo Bills as a stopgap, suffered a concussion in Week 3 against the New York Jets.

The 2017 Heisman Trophy winner has completed 58.3 percent of his throws for 1,471 yards with eight touchdowns and six interceptions through six appearances. He's added 91 rushing yards on 15 carries.

Pro Football Focus ranks him 16th among quarterbacks, while he's 30th out of 33 qualified players at the position in ESPN's Total QBR.

Kitchens said the Browns won't overhaul their offensive approach despite the staff changes and noted improvement will come down to better execution, per McManamon.

"We're running the same system as we ran before," he said. "We're not changing systems. We're not doing anything. Todd and I have the same system. He brought me up in the system and nothing's going to change from that standpoint."

Mayfield should have a chance to showcase some growth leading up to Cleveland's Week 11 bye.

The Browns will face a pair of bottom-five pass defenses in their next two games, which will come against the Kansas City Chiefs (29th) and Atlanta Falcons (30th). Both opponents are giving up more than 300 yards per contest.

In fact, Mayfield and Co. don't face another top-10 pass defense until they take on the Baltimore Ravens in the season finale. So there should be ample opportunity for him to shine down the stretch.