Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield is part of the problem
The Cleveland Browns have a number of issues ongoing in their 2-3 start and coming off a Week 5 beatdown loss and Baker Mayfield is far from blameless.
Problems for the Cleveland Browns are piling up after a 31-3 loss to the 49ers in Week 5. In a game where they looked hapless and helpless, the offensive line was atrocious, the pass-catchers didn’t make a ton of plays, the defense was banged up and getting gashed and it was all quite bad. None of this, however, is an excuse for quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The second-year quarterback and No. 1 pick in last year’s draft faced enormous expectations entering this season after he set the record for rookie touchdowns in only 14 games played. Through five games, he’s not even in the same ballpark as those expectations.
Monday night against San Francisco was perhaps his worst effort yet. Mayfield was horrendous, going 8-of-22 for 100 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns. He was indeed under duress for much of the night but he also didn’t do himself any favors in those situations or when there was an actual pocket.
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There is something to be said to Mayfield’s defense about the offensive line. A problem area entering the year has proven to be an even bigger issue than expected. Playing under constant pressure is not easy for any quarterback, much less a young player. But at a certain point, if Mayfield is going to live up to his chest-pounding ways as a leader, he has to weather the storm.
He emphatically has failed to do so. It appears that Mayfield is panicking when the offensive line breaks down, making poor decisions to either hold onto the ball or attempt throws he shouldn’t. What’s worse, though, is that he’s getting antsy even when there isn’t pressure.
There have been numerous instances this season when the Browns offensive line is actually doing their job and Mayfield then rolls out of the pocket for seemingly no reason. Not only is that a sign of him being uncomfortable but it also makes the line’s job next to impossible as their angles completely change in that situation. The result is Mayfield creating unnecessary defensive pressure on himself.
Without question, Mayfield and the Browns’ best outing of the season was in Week 4’s victory over Baltimore. He was confident in getting the ball out quickly and, not for nothing, Nick Chubb carried the load that helped open things up for the passing attack.
While doing more of that will help the sophomore quarterback, he also has to mature as a player. He’s regressed from the confident passer that we saw as a rookie and now looks like a shell of himself, an erratic gunslinger that’s offering little upside or consistency at the helm of the offense.
This is not to say that Baker Mayfield is a bust. My bet is on him eventually figuring it out and returning to something like his rookie form, or even better.
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However, that can be true while also acknowledging how badly he’s performing right now. The swagger is gone, the confidence has been put away and we’re left with a player that is almost wholly ineffective, despite having the best host of weapons that the Browns have seen perhaps ever. And if Cleveland is going to turn things around in the 2019 season, it’s going to start with Mayfield making a drastic turnaround.