The Cleveland Browns underachieved in a huge way in the 2019 season, thanks in large part to the poor play of second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield. Inconsistent for the majority of this past season, Mayfield was unable to avoid a “sophomore” slump after impressing mightily as a rookie a few seasons back.
However, not all hope should be lost for Mayfield in Cleveland as the former No. 1 overall pick has shown glimpses of excellence since making his way to the Browns by way of Oklahoma. Not only that, but Mayfield now has a respected offensive mind at the helm as the Browns recently elected to hire former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski as the team's newest head coach.
With a slew of talented players on offense alongside Mayfield, coupled with the fact that the aforementioned Stefanski stands to be in place for the forseeable future, the Browns starter under center could very well bounce back come next season.
Veteran wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. still play in Cleveland
Despite the fact that Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was certainly lackluster in 2019-20, he definitely have the personnel in place alongside him to turn things around in a hurry. Most notably, the Browns still employee to of the best overall wide receivers in the entire NFL in Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. These two are not only friends, but they make up arguably the most frightening wide receiver tandem in the league, which bodes extremely well for Mayfield going forward.
Nick Chubb will continue to serve as a reliable running back behind Baker Mayfield
A successful passing game is always coupled with an effective rushing attack — something that the Cleveland Browns already have in place thanks to standout running back Nick Chubb. With the former Georgia Bulldogs standout also slated to enter his third season as a NFL running back, quarterback Baker Mayfield will have the ability to both check it down when in trouble and be the beneficiary of some timely rushing attempts from Chubb. Chubb was second in the NFL in rushing in his second season in 2019-20, which can go a long way for Mayfield and company on offense.
Baker Mayfield has already performed well at the highest level
Although he did not have an impressive second season as a member of the Cleveland Browns, quarterback Baker Mayfield did put his talent on display at times in 2019-20. More importantly, he put such talent on full display as a rookie two seasons ago, which proves that Mayfield can no doubt succeed atop the NFL level.
He has not shown that he can be consistent on a long-term basis, however, which will need to be the next step in his progress. Stop turning the ball over, put the ball in the hands of your best playmakers along the outside and utilize the services of starting running back Nick Chubb — and everything may be just fine in Cleveland after all. Unfortunately, only time will truly tell for both Mayfield and the Browns as a whole.
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