Myles Garrett not surprised to see Baker Mayfield’s late-game heroics
BEREA − Myles Garrett didn’t see his former teammate, Baker Mayfield, lead the Los Angeles Rams on a 98-yard game-winning drive Thursday night in a 17-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The Browns defensive end, though, wasn’t the least bit surprised by the fact it happened.
“I’m not going to lie, I didn’t see half of it,” Garrett said. “I went to sleep at the end of the third. I was like, (16-3), new team, maybe he’ll get them next week. I went to sleep, I woke up. Right before I went to sleep, I was with my (physical therapist) John, I said, ‘Maybe you should stay up. There is a possibility he could bring them back. You let me know in the morning.’ So I wake up and there’s a text waiting on me like, ‘You won’t believe it.’ I said, yeah I will.”
Garrett and Mayfield spent four seasons as teammates with the Browns, making the playoffs together in 2020. Mayfield was dealt to the Carolina Panthers in July in exchange for a fifth-round pick, and took the loss when the Browns beat the Panthers in the season opener.
Mayfield was released by the Panthers on Monday, and was picked up off waivers by the Rams on Tuesday. While he didn’t start the game Thursday, he came in off the bench to complete 22-of-35 passes − including 15 of his 20 fourth-quarter passes − for 230 yards and the game-winning 23-yard touchdown to Van Jefferson with 15 seconds remaining.
“I mean, it was (impressive),” Garrett said. “And going back to watch it, he was putting some dimes out there for guys to go get early on in the game and it was just that time until it clicked. So I have nothing against the guy now. I’m hoping for his success wherever he’s at, just not when he’s facing us.
Amari Cooper questionable against Bengals with hip injury
Amari Cooper missed practice on Friday with a hip injury. The Browns receiver is listed as questionable to play Sunday against Cincinnati due to the injury.
“Just it happened in practice and just did not feel like he was able to go today,” coach Kevin Stefanski said after Friday’s practice. “Just have to really take this one over the next couple of days and see where it lands.”
Cooper has 61 catches for 832 yards and seven touchdowns this season, all team highs for the Browns. The last time the Browns faced the Bengals, in Week 8 in Cleveland, he posted a season-high 131 yards and a touchdown on five catches.
That was also the game in which Cooper had an ill-timed receiver pass that was intercepted.
Cooper’s absence that last practice-and-a-half has taken away time for him to continue to get on the same page with quarterback Deshaun Watson. In Watson’s return to the field in last Sunday’s 27-14 win over the Houston Texans, he was targeted nine times, catching four passes for 40 yards.
On Thursday, Cooper acknowledged connecting with Watson after 11 games of Jacoby Brissett was something that was a critical objective for him.
“Obviously that’s something that you really want to get down pat, that relationship between the quarterback and receiver because we all run at a different tempo and different stride lengths and stuff like that,” Cooper said. “So just the more we could do to get him acclimated to each of our stride lengths and stuff like that. In terms of breaking out of the routes and stuff like that, I think that’s No. 1.”
David Bell out of practice with toe injury, two other back on field
David Bell was not on the field at all Friday. While he left the win over the Texans with a thumb injury that had limited him both Wednesday and Thursday, it was a toe injury which sidelined him for Friday’s practice.