Baker Mayfield took the NFL by storm during his rookie year with the Cleveland Browns in 2018, setting the single-season touchdown record for a first-year quarterback with 27 scores.
As a result, expectations were very high for Mayfield entering 2019, but the University of Oklahoma product fell victim to the dreaded sophomore slump. Mayfield is now entering his pivotal third season and will have to prove himself to a new coaching staff led by Kevin Stefanski.
Apparently, he is already impressing the new regime:
“He’s done everything I’d expect from him as a starting quarterback,’’ said new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. “His work ethic is great. He jumps into other meetings that aren’t required, and he’ll sit in the receiver meetings when they have them and will sit in running back meetings from time to time, as well. He’s all in. He’s doing it exactly how we expect him to do it.’’
Mayfield was heavily criticized for being a bit too mouthy and not backing it up with his play on the field this past year. He threw for 3,827 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions while completing just 59.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 78.8. Most importantly, the Browns, who entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations, went just 6-10 and missed the playoffs entirely.
Cleveland has not made the postseason for 17 years, representing the longest active playoff drought in the NFL. If that is going to change in 2020, Mayfield will certainly have to have a better season than he had a year ago.
Follow Us
Subscribe