Ranking AFC North teams by quarterback situation: Steelers fall to bottom
By Lucas Schuh
No. 3 AFC North quarterback situation: Cleveland Browns
Projected Starter: Baker Mayfield
Backups: Case Keenum, Kevin Davidson, Garrett Gilbert
Whether it was Johnny Manziel, Brandon Weeden, DeShone Kizer or a laundry list of others, the Browns have long been looking for the quarterback to pin their offense behind. It seems like they may have found that player who can guide the franchise into the future with Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield was selected with the top pick in the 2018 NFL Draft after the Browns had gone 0-16 in the previous year. Stepping into that situation, the Oklahoma product faced an uphill battle as a rookie due to the talent around him. Tyrod Taylor had the starting job immediately but Mayfield wasted little time taking it, being inserted in Week 3 and never relinquishing the job thereafter.
There was a ton of hype and optimism around the Browns heading into Mayfield’s second season, especially with the addition of Odell Beckham Jr. Things went in the opposite direction, though, for a number of reasons. Mayfield himself took a step back and Cleveland went just 7-8-1 on the season.
Now entering Mayfield’s year three, the Browns have one of the league’s best backups, Case Keenum, behind their hopeful young star. Keenum will also be under new head coach Kevin Stefanski, who he flourished under when the coach was an offensive coordinator in Minnesota.
Though Cleveland is at No. 3, they are not in a bad quarterback situation. If Mayfield can rebound with an improved coaching situation and offensive line, they could move up on this list in the future.