Baker Mayfield injury: Browns QB out for Week 7 clash against Broncos

Arizona Cardinals v Cleveland Browns
Arizona Cardinals v Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has been nursing a severely torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. Initially, Mayfield stated that he hoped to be ready to face off against the Denver Broncos in a short week on Thursday Night Football.

However, as per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Mayfield has officially been ruled out of the game due to the severity of the injury.

Browns QB Baker Mayfield ruled out for Thursday Night game vs. Broncos

According to Rapoport, Baker Mayfield has officially been ruled out for the Thursday Night matchup vs. the Denver Broncos. It's a huge blow to a team that has hopes of winning the AFC North division and advancing deep into the playoffs.

The Browns are currently facing a dire situation with injuries occurring to key players on their team. Star running back Nick Chubb missed the previous game due to an injured calf. His backup, Kareem Hunt, was injured during the previous game against the Arizona Cardinals with a calf injury as well. Hunt is slated to miss several weeks, so this puts even more stress on the offense.

To make matters worse, receiver Jarvis Landry is still out nursing a lingering knee injury which has kept him out of the last few games. The Browns' other star receiver, Odell Beckham Jr., is playing but is still working his way into game shape as he missed most of last season and the first part of the current season with a torn ACL.

OBJ made his debut in Week 3 of this season and has been slowly gearing up his reps and playing time this year.

What are the Browns to do now?

With injuries to just about every key piece of the offense, what should the Cleveland Browns do to stay competitive in games for the rest of the season?

With news of Baker Mayfield missing the game tomorrow with a severe shoulder injury, head coach Kevin Stefanski will now look to backup quarterback Case Keenum to run his offense as efficiently as he can. Keenum is a journeyman quarterback who has plenty of experience in different types of offenses.

His best season came in 2017 as a member of the Minnesota Vikings when he passed for 3,547 yards with 22 touchdowns to only seven interceptions.

Ironically, it was during this year that Kevin Stefanski was the quarterbacks coach for the Vikings, so they are familiar with each other and Stefanski has proven that he can succeed at a high level with Keenum at quarterback.

With the sudden news of Baker Mayfield's shoulder keeping him out of tomorrow's game against the Broncos, the Browns must now rely on Kevin Stefanski's prior success with Case Keenum in order to stay afloat in the competitive AFC.

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Edited by Piyush Bisht