Baker Mayfield's first win was beating the clock.

The No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL draft signed his rookie contract on Tuesday with the Cleveland Browns Adidas Gabriel Landeskog Jersey , who believe the quarterback from Oklahoma can lead them back to respectability and more.

Mayfield finalized his four-year, $32 million deal a day before Cleveland's players are scheduled to report to training camp and avoided being a holdout. Mayfield's contract includes a $22 million signing bonus.

Rookie cornerback Denzel Ward, selected with the No. 4 overall pick, remains unsigned. But the Browns are hopeful they can also get the former Ohio State star under contract before their first practice on Thursday.

One of college football's most popular and polarizing players, Mayfield is not expected to start in his first season for Cleveland. The Browns acquired former Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor during an offseason trade and coach Hue Jackson has made it clear that the veteran will play until Mayfield is ready.

That doesn't mean Mayfield won't try to beat out Taylor.

"I'm always competitive," he said during rookie camp. "It wouldn't matter what (Jackson) was saying in regards to the competition. I'm still going to compete and try and win that job."

Mayfield, who was a two-time walk-on in college, won the Heisman Trophy last season after he passed for 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns. Despite some questions about his character after an off-field incident and some well-publicized antics during games Adidas Vladimir Tarasenko Jersey , the Browns chose him over several other top-tier college QBs in April's draft.

Mayfield impressed coaches and teammates with his attitude and work ethic during spring workouts, but he still has a ways to go before he can unseat Taylor, who ended the Bills' long playoff drought last season.

Cleveland has spent nearly the past two decades searching for its franchise quarterback and hope Mayfield can finally end its quest.

The Browns are coming off a 0-16 season, but there is renewed optimism following an offseason roster overhaul that included the acquisition of Taylor, wide receiver Jarvis Landry and linebacker Mychal Kendricks.

After transferring from Texas Tech, Mayfield started 39 games for the Sooners. He finished his career with 14,607 yards passing and 131 touchdowns. He also ended ranked second in FBS history in passing efficiency rating (175.4), third in yards per attempt (9.7) and tied for fourth in touchdown passes.
Bill Lazor's statistical study of the Bengals' offense during the offseason left him feeling the same as he did on all those discouraging game days. The numbers confirmed what his eyes had seen so many times.

Some mighty small numbers filled up the columns measuring big plays. The Bengals were one of the most inept teams in the league at getting the ball downfield, the main factor in a second straight losing season.

"Statistically Authentic Steven Stamkos Jersey , it looks just like it felt," the Bengals' offensive coordinator said. "You were there."

The main emphasis in Lazor's overhaul of the offense has been finding ways to get big plays out of an offense that finished last in total yards and near the bottom in big plays as well. It all begins with Andy Dalton, who is coming off one of his least-effective seasons.

The eighth-year quarterback completed 69.9 percent of his passes and averaged 6.69 yards per attempt, both figures his worst since his rookie season. Dalton repeatedly was off-target on long passes. He also was under constant pressure, which limited the time for receivers to get open downfield and contributed to the lack of long passes.

"This group's been one of the best groups in the NFL 鈥?since Andy came into the league 鈥?on vertical passes," coach Marvin Lewis said. "And we weren't very good. So that alone is the first thing."

The 2015 season was Dalton's best as he worked behind a veteran line. The Bengals had 63 pass plays of at least 20 yards, nine shy of the league high shared by the Saints and Jaguars. Last season, they managed only 34 such plays, a huge decline. The Saints led the league with 72 pass plays of 20 yards or more.

The passing game wasn't the only failed area. The Bengals' longest run was only 25 yards Jake Lamb Jersey , the worst in the league.

Injuries played a role. Tight end Tyler Eifert hurt his back in the second game and was out for the rest of the season. Top draft pick John Ross was severely limited by two shoulder injuries and didn't catch a pass.

By contrast, every part of the offense 鈥?receivers, tight ends, running backs 鈥?provided game-turning plays in 2015.

"Guys did a good job of making tough, contested catches," Dalton said. "I was being accurate with the ball, and guys were catching and running. I think there were probably some broken tackles in the run game and different things. It's a big thing we want to do."

The Bengals failed to score a touchdown in their first two games last season and fired offensive coordinator Ken Zampese. Lazor took over as an interim coordinator, got the job after the season, and was given a lot of latitude to reinvent the offense.

The new playbook provides many opportunities to try for a big play.

"It's not on everything Authentic Avonte Maddox Jersey , but there's definitely chances to take shots down the field," Dalton said.

The Bengals traded with the Bills for left tackle Cordy Glenn and drafted center Billy Price in the first round as part of their line overhaul. Ross is back and making impressive plays during camp. Eifert signed a one-year deal and was cleared to practice on Monday.

There was no thought of bringing in someone to challenge Dalton, who has the backing of Lewis and owner Mike Brown. They're hoping a solid line will give Dalton the time he needs to perform more like he did in 2015.

"When Andy came to us in 2011 up to now, our winning percentage is eighth in the league," said Duke Tobin, director of player personnel. "We're confident in him leading our team. We have to be better in front of him than last year. We've got to put a better run game with him.

"We feel like we've got weapons on the outside and he should be in the prime of his career, so he's going to have to lead the charge."
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