5 NFL players who will improve under a new regime in 2020
By Randy Gurzi
player. Baker Mayfield. 1. 53. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. QB. Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns have been the epitome of dysfunction since returning to the NFL in 1999. It’s not fair to their fan base which is one of the most loyal and passionate in the league, but that doesn’t change the fact that this organization has been a dumpster fire.
However, they feel good about this season. Again. Like they did last year. And the year before.
The fact is, the only constant in Cleveland is hope. They continually have hope that this regime change will be the one that actually changes things. And while it’s fair to remain skeptical, it’s hard not to see why they finally feel like they got it right.
New head coach Kevin Stefanski was a long-time assistant with the Minnesota Vikings and he seems to be the complete opposite of what they had last season in Freddie Kitchens. Their rookie coach in 2019 was brash with his words and loose with his game plan. Stefanski, on the other hand, is a quiet leader who preaches hard work and proved in 2019 to have a great plan for his offensive strategy.
Also, their new general manager looks to be a stud. Andrew Berry, like Stefanski, is the polar opposite of his predecessor John Dorsey. While Dorsey could scout talent very well, he seemed allergic to depth and didn’t quite build an entire roster. Berry, on the other hand, filled all their holes this offseason and added quality backups as well. His best work was seen in his re-tooling of the offensive line, which was dreadful in 2019.
No one in the entire organization will benefit more from this change than Baker Mayfield. First, the obvious is his protection. Cleveland had the worst offensive line in the NFL last year but Berry added Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin to make it a potential strength.
They also gave him a wonderful security blanket in Austin Hooper and some other options which include rookie Harrison Bryant. Berry also re-signed Rashard Higgins who was one of Mayfield’s favorite targets in 2018, but Kitchens refused to play him for much of the 2019 campaign.
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Lastly, there’s the play-calling of Stefanski. He showed in 2019 that he will make his quarterback comfortable, which is what he did for Kirk Cousins who had one of his most efficient campaigns.
Mayfield has the talent to succeed and now, he finally seems to have the right help around him.