Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tyrod Taylor is the Browns' starting quarterback and is on his way to becoming the next in the long line of the team's opening day starters against Pittsburgh on Sept. 9.

"This is his fourth year starting in the NFL. He's just coming into his own and this is just the tip of the iceberg," quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese said on Thursday. "We haven't seen the best from him."

That's one way to look at Taylor. The other is that we know exactly what he is after three years starting in Buffalo -- a dual threat quarterback who protects the football and has won more games than he's lost.

Taylor turns 29 before the Browns take the field for their first preseason game against the Giants and it's reasonable to think we are seeing his ceiling. It's also reasonable to think, with the weapons he has at his disposal which, on paper, are better than anything he had in Buffalo outside of LeSean McCoy and Sammy Watkins (when healthy), there might be more than we have seen.

Either way, it's reasonable to be happy with either outcome. The Browns, this offseason, created stability at the game's most important position and provided a clear path forward for their most important asset, No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield.

That's where we start with a look back at the Browns' offseason program and what we learned. We'll go with 22 thoughts in honor of Taylor's 22 career wins as a starter:

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Waiting on Baker

1. When we talk about the quarterbacks, let's make this clear: no matter your feelings about Mayfield -- whether you wanted the Browns to take him No. 1 or not -- they picked him and he is the future. He is the player this regime selected as their quarterback of the future and there's no going back -- at least not for a while. Every move they make is built around him becoming this team's starting quarterback for a long time.

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Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

2. Because of that, there is no rush to play Mayfield. They are not picking a quarterback next year, at least not high and definitely not to start. There won't come a point in the season where the pressure of "We have to see what we have in Baker before the draft" is an issue. He is the future.

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3. There is an argument for playing him right away. He was touted as the most pro-ready of the top quarterbacks in this class. He is already 23 years old and will turn 24 right around when next year's offseason program is kicking off. He also started a bunch of games in college and won a bunch. That's the type of pedigree that usually dictates playing quickly.

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4. This is where I tell you that, based on the six practices of OTAs and minicamp that were open to the media, Mayfield, in my opinion, did not look ready to compete with Taylor for the No. 1 quarterback job.

UPDATE: I realize there's another way to read this that I didn't intend. When I say he didn't look ready, I mean he simply wasn't ready to push Taylor for the job. This was not a commentary on his preparation, which, by most accounts, has been up to par.

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John Kuntz, cleveland.com

5. This is also where I remind you that plans in June can change by September, though I'm not predicting that to happen. Remember, Carson Wentz wasn't supposed to start Week 1 until Philadelphia stole a first-round pick from Minnesota for Sam Bradford. Deshaun Watson wasn't supposed to start early, either, and 30 minutes into Houston's season he was on the field.

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John Kuntz, cleveland.com

6. The Browns' history at the position shouldn't be a reason to sit Mayfield, but the reality is that recent history is a factor. This team went 0-16 a season ago and threw 28 interceptions. That's the highest number of interceptions thrown by a team since the Giants threw 29 in 2013. The quarterback play continually undermined any chance this team had to win, which was already slim to begin with.

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7. "It kind of shows what a vet quarterback is," Duke Johnson said on Tuesday about Tyrod Taylor. "The way he handles the huddle, the way he anticipates throws, the way his knowledge is for the game. It just shows. I think the only other quarterback I've had like that since I've been here is probably Josh McCown, if I'm not mistaken. Definitely, Josh was another kind of vet quarterback that did everything that vet quarterbacks do. Tyrod is definitely a guy that we have a lot of trust in and we believe that he's always going to put the ball in the right places, as long as we protect him and keep him off the ground and keep him on his feet, we'll be alright."

McCown is the last quarterback to win a division game for the Browns, back in 2015.

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8. Johnson also said this: "It was a lot on DeShone (Kizer)'s plate (last season). So I definitely think it was a lot to ask of him regardless of where he was drafted and how you got here, it's a lot."

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9. That history shouldn't dictate Mayfield sitting. He is not DeShone Kizer. Starting him from Week 1 wouldn't be nearly as disastrous. There's also more structure around him than there was Kizer.

Still, unless Mayfield comes and takes the job -- and he hasn't come close to doing that -- why not take a shot at winning some games early on with Taylor and taking some of the weight of that recent history off the shoulders of your rookie quarterback? Why not give your offense a chance to breathe with a quarterback who has had success at this level?

Giving this offense and its weapons a chance to have a quarterback who has run an NFL huddle before, who has relayed plays from the headset to his teammates, who has looked over an NFL defense and made adjustments presnap is not a bad thing.

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10. The boring answer to all of this: it will play out. Just like with Wentz and Watson and Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes, one way or another, this will play out and end with Mayfield starting. There's no reason for any handwringing over the depth chart right now.

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Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

The crowded backfield

11. Having too many good players isn't something Browns fans are really used to. In fact, as I wrote last week,

. So a crowded backfield shouldn't cause any worries, either.

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12. Running backs coach Freddie Kitchens was asked if he's a proponent of riding the hot hand.

"If they're having success, why would you change?" Kitchens said. "It may be somebody different week to week."

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13. The Browns also have a potential out in Hyde's contract after this season. It's in line with how they structured a number of their veteran contracts. Create stability at the position initially and competition via the draft.

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The receivers

14. Jarvis Landry is a bad man. He has a chance to completely change the complexion of this receiving corps and, in some ways, already has.

There was a ball thrown to him on Wednesday afternoon in the back corner of the endzone. He was unable to catch it. The defender played it well and the ball was slightly overthrown. Still, Landry kicked the pylon and reacted like he expected to catch the ball. He said something unfit for publication. That's the attitude Landry brings, along with some swagger.

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15. Landry will not be a repeat of Kenny Britt. He won't be too busy dancing to take his reps in practice. He won't be a clown in the locker room.

I asked Hue Jackson on Wednesday if Landry brought a measure of leadership to the receiver room and Jackson said that players respect him because he "has some skins on the wall."

"I think that he has brought a different attitude towards that group," Jackson said. "You have to make plays. You saw (WR) Corey (Coleman) make some tremendous catches in one-on-ones today, which was good to see, but that is what is expected out of that room. I think that is the mentality that he brings. Everybody has to step up and match that."

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John Kuntz, cleveland.com

The defense

16. I'm intrigued by the linebacker position with the addition of Mychal Kendricks. How will Gregg and Blake Williams deploy four starting-quality linebackers? Are we going to see 4-4 fronts? Who will lose playing time to Kendricks? There is no clarity coming out of the spring since Kendricks is still recovering from ankle surgery in March.

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17. Derrick Kindred had a nice year as a run stopper in 2017, but, ultimately, Jabrill Peppers' versatility should beat him out at strong safety. That's my guess, at least.

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18. Why Denzel Ward over Bradley Chubb? Gregg Williams gave his answer to that on Thursday.

"I would have loved to have Chubb, but at this point in time, I do not think that he covers the deep ball well enough as a press corner," Williams said. "Nor does he intercept the ball well enough. I have an (Emmanuel) Ogbah, and I have got a lot of other guys out there."

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19. The defense is banking on Ogbah in a big way. He was excellent as an edge-setter in the run game a season ago, but has been inconsistent as a pass rusher in his first two years. Playing a full season on the other side of Myles Garrett will help.

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John Kuntz, cleveland.com

20. It appears the Browns are ready to lean heavily on Ward. He has already established himself with the first team at cornerback.

"From an intelligence standpoint, it is not very hard because he just has to count to one and cover the guy that is the first one in from the sideline," Williams said.

That guy will likely be wearing No. 84 for the Steelers Week 1. Welcome to the NFL, rookie.

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21. One of my favorite moments from Ward in the spring? Landry beat him in the endzone on Tuesday. About an hour later, in a different drill, Ward ripped a ball away from Landry.

That's life at corner in the NFL. You're going to get beat, but you're going to have to forget it and go make the next play.

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22. What's different between Ward's quick ascent and Mayfield getting held back? First of all, it's a very different position. Secondly, Ward has already shown that he belongs in the discussion as a starter. Mayfield has not.

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The disclaimer

You can talk yourself into a lot of things just watching practice in spring. That said, you should feel better about the state of this team today than at this time a year ago.