Cleveland Browns Mid-Season Positional Review: Quarterbacks
Entering the season Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield faced resistance that he is the franchise quarterback to turn around the team’s misfortune, and eight games into the season there is still some uncertainty. Debates questioning Mayfield’s longevity as the starter began early in the offseason as GM Andrew Berry signed backup QB Case Keenum to a multi-year deal.
For most of his career Keenum has been a journeyman but had his best statistical season in Minnesota when Kevin Stefanski was the Vikings quarterbacks coach. The discussions never gained much traction of Mayfield being replaced as the starter, but Keenum made an appearance this season against the Steelers in week 6. A main cause for Keenum’s garbage time minutes were due to the chest injury Mayfield suffered against the Indianapolis Colts.
Since week 5, the health of Baker Mayfield has been a cause for concern and some have related his poor play as an effect of the injury. Regardless if the injury is hampering his throwing ability or not, Mayfield simply has not lived up to the lofty expectations of a number one overall pick after struggling in his sophomore campaign. He has shown very talented flashes in spurts but they have been seemingly overshadowed by turnover worthy mistakes. From a statistical perspective this is how he has performed so far this season:
Baker Mayfield (3rd Year, #1 Pick 2018 Draft)
223 Attempts – 137 Completions
61.4 (%) Completion Percentage
1,514 Passing Yards | 15 TDs – 7 INTs
189.3 Yards per Game | 6.8 Yards per Attempt
PFF Grades
67.5 Offense Grade (27th/36)
65.5 Pass Grade (27th/36)
2019 Comparison
1,963 Passing Yards – 7 TDs | 12 INTs
Overall Mayfield has played relatively average halfway through the season and his performances within the AFC North are the narrative thus far. He has performed extremely well against the Cincinnati Bengals with the exclusion of two ugly picks. In their latest matchup Baker Mayfield threw for five touchdowns and set a new franchise record with 21 straight completions. Conversely Mayfield has played horrendously against the division’s elite competition.
The first game of the season Mayfield faced the Baltimore Ravens on the road and only managed to score six points. He threw the offenses only touchdown and had an interception due to one of multiple passes being batted down at the line of scrimmage. It was not the performance he wanted to start the season with, especially since he was averaging only 4.85 yards per attempt. Baltimore was a very tough matchup for Mayfield as he faced a talented cornerback duo of Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey.
The Pittsburgh Steelers at home was an even worse performance by Mayfield as his first pass attempt turned into a Minkah Fitzpatrick pick-six in the opposite direction. He was constantly under pressure during the game and got sacked a season high four times. Yet, the biggest cause for concern was Baker Mayfield struggling against the Steelers defense with post-snap movement compared to pre-snap alignment. Over the past two seasons his eyes have put him into numerous questionable throws and Mayfield has shown limited ability to look off receivers to throw others open.
There are certain aspects of Mayfield’s game, as a passer, that must improve for him to play at a higher level. One of the more pressing areas of change is his ability to go through his progressions and consistently make the best read. Early in the season there were situations he would force the ball downfield when there were open receivers underneath or a simple check down was available. This was usually coupled with holding onto the ball too long and making throws late.
Mayfield has one of the highest times to throw in the league and getting the ball out fast is when he has performed best in his young career. After losing Odell Beckham early in week seven, Mayfield was getting the ball out of his hands quicker and showcased better decision making. This can be partially a result on the change in playcalling by Kevin Stefanksi to best fit the personnel on the field. The change in passing tempo was apparent in the second matchup against the Bengals but against the Raiders the skill positions did not help Mayfield with five drops during the game.
The second issue that has seemingly carried over from last season is Mayfield’s inconsistent poise in the pocket. There are media pundits that claimed Mayfield is the fourth best quarterback in the division while rookie Joe Burrow is being praised for his poise in the pocket. A problematic case of ‘happy feet’ in the pocket causes Mayfield to look antsy and uncomfortable making reads from the pocket. The biggest adverse effects from his bouncy posture are passes coming out high, resulting in turnover worthy throws or missing open targets over their head. This was an issue offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt mentioned needed correcting during the offseason.
There are still so many concerns about Mayfield’s game that he must answer this season. Certainly his throwing mechanics will improve with more game snaps but his ability to go through his progressions must improve drastically. He came into the NFL with a gambler mentality similar to Brett Favre because of believe in his arm strength. Yet, unlike college, windows close much quicker and defensive coordinators have found success in disguising coverages against Mayfield.
Although, the biggest cause for concern thus far is his play against elite competition. In games that an opponent has a record of .500 or above, Mayfield had his worst performances of the season. Sitting at 5-3 during the bye week and a softer strength of schedule remaining, the Browns should definitely be in the playoff picture. If he wants to get a contract extension and be that franchise quarterback that many believe he can be then he must be great against top tier competition. Clinching a playoff spot could be a huge factor in this front office’s belief in Mayfield and even a playoff win could change the mixed narrative surrounding him.
In order to make the playoffs the Browns offense needs better and more consistent performance from the quarterback position. Baker Mayfield is the obvious starter granted he remains healthy, but the offense should find ways to win with Case Keenum under center if need be. Keenum is a smart veteran that has familiarity within the system and showed an ability to command the offense in limited snaps versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yet at the end of the day the real success of this franchise moving forward lays on the shoulder of Baker Mayfield.
