Baker Mayfield ready to be the leader the Cleveland Browns need
Baker Mayfield lost the plot with the Cleveland Browns in year two.
Taking over the starting quarterback job after Week 3 of his rookie season with the Cleveland Browns, Baker Mayfield looked the part. The part, of course, refers to the star selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft who was hand-picked to be the quarterback to end the incessant woes at the position in The Land.
In that season, Mayfield set the rookie passing touchdown with 27 and the Browns went 6-7 as the starter. And after high-profile offseason additions headlined by Odell Beckham Jr. entering last season, the quarterback and Cleveland were the toast of the NFL prior to 2019. Then Mayfield regressed. The Browns went 6-10, Mayfield’s efficiency dipped way down and he threw 22 touchdowns with 21 interceptions.
As quickly as people jumped on the bandwagon, they were cannonballing off into safer waters. But there were still plenty of justifiable reasons for what happened with Mayfield in 2019. The offensive line was terrible, as was the coaching and scheme under Freddie Kitchens. He also fought through wrist injuries.
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But Mayfield isn’t looking for excuses as he and Cleveland aim to realize their potential as a post-hype sleeper in the 2020 campaign. Instead, he’s shouldering and internalizing the blame. Talking to the media at Browns training camp, per ESPN’s Jake Trotter, Mayfield said the lack of success was unfamiliar and led to him searching for answers but not the right ones. He finished by saying:
"“So I lost myself in that, and I wasn’t able to be who I [need to be] for these guys on the team.”"
And that last part might be the most important piece to the equation, the mathematical quandary of how the Cleveland Browns can get back to the postseason.
Focus renewed, Baker Mayfield is ready to lead the Browns to new heights.
Yes, Baker Mayfield needs to play better. It all starts there. But it should be noted how much of a better situation he’s in for 2020 than the previous season. Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills should shore up the porous offensive line on the edges. Beckham is now healthy and there are more weapons than ever in the offense. And a proven offensive mind, Kevin Stefanski, is taking over for Kitchens.
But Mayfield talking about needing to be a certain guy for his teammates is where it ends. If the Browns are going to turn things around, they need a leader. Coming out of Oklahoma, his exuberant confidence was a rallying point for the team. He clearly lost that amid the struggles of the 2019 season and he notices that.
This offseason has been all about rectifying that, though. You can see that with his recent comments but also with the focus he put on improving his body physically this offseason. In every aspect, Mayfield sees that he wasn’t the quarterback and leader that’s necessary to win. And he’s doing everything he can to steer things in the right direction.
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We’ll see if it translates on the field. But if you believed in Baker Mayfield either coming out of Oklahoma or after his rookie season, the signs are all there to renew your faith. This looks and sounds like the player who was born to be the general on the field and in the locker room. And with that, success should follow.