Great news for the Dawg Pound ... Baker Mayfield says he expects superstar Myles Garrett to return to the team by Week 1 next season ... telling TMZ Sports his teammate is "in a good place."
Garrett is currently suspended for his infamous helmet-swinging attack on Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph back in November ... and has to meet with the NFL before he can play again.
Mayfield -- who sat next to Garrett at UFC 246 on Saturday -- says his guy is doing well, which is great news for the team.
"I sat next to him during the fight, he's good, man," Mayfield tells us. "He's in a good place right now, which is good for us as a team."
We also talked to Mayfield about Garrett benching 425 pounds ... and Bake says he's trying to outdo him!!
Mayfield says he's also "very happy" about the team's new head coach, Kevin Stefanski ... as well as for Odell Beckham's butt-slap charge getting tossed.
Now that the team's got a new guy on the sidelines, we had to ask if 2020 will be the year for the Browns to get back to the postseason ... and Mayfield says he's got a bigger goal.
"The goal is always the ultimate, highest, the Super Bowl. There's no promises. Nothing is ever promised.