Baker Mayfield did not exactly have a fine sophomore campaign in 2019.
The Cleveland Browns quarterback threw nearly as many interceptions (21) as he did touchdowns (22), completed less than 60 percent of his passes and always seemed to be in the news for all of the wrong reasons.
To make matters worse, the Browns went just 6-10 in spite of entering the season with Super Bowl expectations.
So, will Mayfield bounce back next season with a new head coach?
Here are three predictions for Mayfield in 2020:
He will cut down on turnovers
The amount of interceptions Mayfield threw this past year was inexcusable, especially considering that he wasn't exactly compensating for his miscues.
Mayfield won't likely ever be a judicious quarterback. He is a gunslinger, and gunslingers typically throw a lot of picks (e.g. Brett Favre). Remember: Mayfield also threw 14 interceptions in 13 starts in 2018.
However, Mayfield will be a bit more careful with his throws next season. In other words, he won't be throwing in excess of 20 picks again.
Look for Mayfield to make the smart play by throwing the ball away rather than trying to fit it into ridiculously tight windows or strong coverage and by taking sacks rather than trying to go for the home run.
He will throw for 4,000 yards
For as strong of an arm as Mayfield has, he has yet to throw for 4,000 yards in a single season.
To be fair, he probably would have done so during his rookie year had he started the whole season, but he got the chance to play all 16 games in 2019, and he finished with 3,827 yards.
With weapons such as Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry and incoming tight end Austin Hooper, there is no reason why Mayfield shouldn't eclipse the 4,000-yard mark in 2020.
Let's also keep in mind that Kareem Hunt will be able to play a full season, so Mayfield will also have him available as a pass-catcher out of the backfield (Nick Chubb hasn't really developed in that regard just yet).
Plus, the Browns improved their offensive line a bit this offseason, signing one of the top tackles on the market in Jack Conklin.
Mayfield has a strong group of weapons at his disposal and should have learned quite a bit from his failed sophomore season, so he should be able to hit 4,000 yards in 2020.
He will stay out of controversy
It's not like Mayfield did anything terrible off the field in 2019, but little things here and there demonstrated he had some maturing to do. Confrontations with reporters, screaming back at fans, paying too much attention to what those in the media thought about him all have marked the early years of his career.
Look for Mayfield to cut out the distractions and be more focused on improving his play in 2020.
Cleveland will once again be considered a playoff contender going into next season, but the only way the Browns are going to make the playoffs (or even push for them) is if Mayfield cleans up his act, both on and off the turf.
If he avoids trouble, guards his mouth and brushes off criticism rather than taking it on, Mayfield should see better results in his pivotal third NFL campaign.
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