CLEVELAND — Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield will miss Thursday night's game against the Denver Broncos with a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
As it turns out, that's not the only shoulder injury Cleveland's quarterback is currently dealing with.
Just ahead of kickoff between the Browns and Broncos on Thursday night, Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported that Mayfield also suffered a fractured humerus bone in his left shoulder. Per Glazer, the injury occurred when Mayfield's left shoulder popped in and out of its socket as he took a sack from J.J. Watt in the third quarter of Cleveland's loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
“I need that fracture to heal for me to get back out there,” Mayfield told Glazer.
News of a fractured bone in Mayfield's shoulder could significantly impact the timeline for his return to the field. While it was previously believed that the No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft could return for the Browns' Week 8 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 31, a fracture could conceivably take multiple weeks, if not months, to heal.
Mayfield initially suffered a complete torn labrum in his left shoulder attempting to make a tackle following an interception in Cleveland's Week 2 win vs. the Houston Texans. He reaggravated the injury taking the sack from Watt on a play in which he also fumbled, but returned to the Browns' lineup without missing an offensive snap.
Without Mayfield in the lineup on Thursday, Case Keenum will start at quarterback for Cleveland. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the 33-year-old veteran discussed what will be his first start since the 2019 season, when he was a member of the Washington Redskins.
"I am built for this," Keenum said. "This is what I have done my whole career of not knowing if I am going to start up until game time to not knowing who is out there with me to introducing myself to players while I am calling a play type stuff. I am excited. What better chance to take advantage of an opportunity than on Thursday Night Football?
"I know these opportunities do not come around very often to be a starting quarterback in this league -- only 32 per week -- so I am ready to take advantage of it.”