FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson was the Rams’ passing-game coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2022 when they signed Baker Mayfield after a rash of injuries.
“Love Baker,” Robinson said. “Great competitor. ... He’s a really talented player. Really talented thrower. Just has every throw at his disposal.”
Mayfield joined the team on a Tuesday night and started a Thursday night game for the Rams against the Raiders. He directed a game-winning drive.
“Certainly value the time that we had in L.A. together,” Robinson said. “It was tough circumstances in L.A. that season. There were a ton of injuries. We were down a few quarterbacks, and he stepped in and his leadership that he had for the rest of the season with those guys was really cool to see.”
Mayfield went on to play last season with Tampa Bay and signed a three-year, $115 million contract over the offseason.
“I know that I had a blast working with him,” Robinson said. “Liam Coen, who is his offensive coordinator now, he was our offensive coordinator in L.A. at the time. We definitely have some good memories.”
Falcons safety Jessie Bates III is the team’s expert on Mayfield. A former member of the Bengals, Bates faced Mayfield for four seasons when he was the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns.
After falling out of favor in Cleveland after four seasons, Mayfield split the 2022 season between the Panthers and Rams. He signed a one-year, make-good deal with the Bucs last season.
“I always thought he was just a really good quarterback,” Bates said. “A lot of his situations in Cleveland didn’t help him. I always thought highly of him. I always thought that he was a gamer.”
He went 6-7, 6-10, 11-5 and 6-8 with the Browns.
In 2022, he went 1-5 with the Panthers and 1-3 with the Rams.
He led the Bucs to a 9-8 record last season, and they beat the Eagles in the playoffs.
“(Rams coach) Sean McVay and those guys kind of got him back on track,” Bates said. “Went to the Bucs, and he’s done a really good job getting those guys to the playoffs and eliminating turnovers and getting the ball to Mike Evans.”
Bates has been sharing tips with his teammates.
“The thing that he’s doing really well is that he gets the ball out pretty fast as well,” Bates said. “That just goes (to show) how smart he is, how much experience he has and how much that really shows when playing against Baker Mayfield.”
Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said, “He’s just super, super gritty. Super athletic. The guys really follow him well. … He’s a heck of a competitor. I think that is what makes him special.”
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