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The Cleveland Browns went from 0-16 in 2017 to 7-8-1 last season. Even better for them, they're trending up for the future at a rapid pace.
A big part of that is quarterback Baker Mayfield, who looked every bit ready for the NFL in his rookie season in 2018.
Apparently Adam Schein of NFL.com is sold, as he puts Mayfield third on his list of early NFL MVP candidates for 2019.
Schein has Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes retaining the title, with Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers coming in second place.
Mayfield comes in third place in front of a group of star quarterbacks. Fourth, fifth and sixth place on the list are all taken by star quarterbacks. Those QBs are Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers), Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts) and Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles).
Those are all established stars who have done pretty big things in the NFL, but it's hard to argue with Schein on this one. If the Browns take another step forward, they'll definitely be a playoff team in 2019. That should happen after a year of development for the young guys and all the new additions (like Odell Beckham Jr.) as well. With Cleveland potentially being a playoff team, you'd imagine their quarterback will be getting some media love.
Of course, Mayfield's development will be important as well. In his rookie year, Mayfield finished with 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns in 14 games (13 starts). Those are great numbers that projected for well over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns had he started all 16 games.
Big numbers from the QB position aren't new, though. Mahomes threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns last season. Therefore, if Mayfield wants to win MVP, he'll need to improve on his numbers and lead the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs.
With that in mind, third place seems like the perfect spot in the MVP race for Baker Mayfield.
