All eyes were on the Cleveland Browns heading into 2019. After going 7-8-1 the season prior, the development of young stars like Baker Mayfield, with the addition of big-name players like Odell Beckham Jr. and Kareem Hunt, was supposed to be enough to carry the team to their first playoff appearance since 2002.
Unfortunately, things didn't exactly go like that and the Browns actually took a bit of a step back — going 6-10 on the year. One of the biggest reasons for the disappointing season is the surprising sophomore slump from 2018 No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield was absolutely electric as a rookie, tossing it for over 3,700 yards and 27 touchdowns. However, in year number two, the former Heisman Trophy winner saw his touchdowns and completion percentage decrease while his interception numbers rose.
With unproven Garrett Gilbert serving as the team's backup quarterback, the Browns didn't have anyone really pushing Mayfield to be great. That may have changed heading into 2020 after Cleveland signed free-agent quarterback Case Keenum to a three-year deal worth $18 million.
Keenum, who by the way, is the NCAA's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, is the perfect backup for Mayfield and first-year head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Speaking of Stefanski, he and Keenum will reunite in Cleveland as Stefanski was coaching on the Minnesota Vikings during Keenum's breakout year in 2017 where he tossed over 3,500 yards, 22 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
While Keenum has yet to replicate that level of success with any other team, the 32-year-old has a wealth of starting experience with five different teams in the league.
Keenum has started at least eight games with all five of those teams despite never staying with a franchise for more than two and a half seasons. Last year, Keenum started the season as the starter for the Washington Redskins.
In 10 games with Washington, the former Houston Cougar made eight starts, completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 1,707 yards, threw 11 touchdowns and only threw five touchdowns.
The addition of a veteran presence like Keenum should give Mayfield some guidance while also giving the Browns one of the best backups in the league if the young quarterback gets hurt or severely underperforms.
Keenum's signing is not a sign that the Browns are ready to give up on their young quarterback, it's too early for that. However, while Keenum may not be the most talented, he is dependable and consistent and will provide a nice safety net for the Browns.
For many reasons, Stefanski is very high on his former quarterback and the same is true of Keenum returning to his former coach. A sense of familiarity should help a new coaching staff that is just getting settled with a new team
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