After a good offseason for the Cleveland Browns Baker Mayfield could break out in 2020.
Baker Mayfield has no excuses not to improve upon his game in 2020 after such a good offseason by the Cleveland Browns. Mayfield had an explosive rookie year but forced too many passes in 2019 for him to be as efficient as he was his rookie year. Unlike some in the media, nobody here thinks Mayfield is a bust or untalented. He simply needs to let the game slow down and take what’s given to him as all the other great quarterbacks have done.
Through his first two years in the NFL, Mayfield has been spectacular; at least by Browns’ metrics. He stands ready to be one of the next great break out players in the league, and after an offseason where just about every hole was addressed, Mayfield should reap the rewards. That is unless something catastrophic goes down.
Mayfield is on track to have a monster 2020 season this year. Everyone is healthy, his teammates have gotten better, new acquisitions, a new head coach and a more competent general manager have been brought in. There are not many reasons Mayfield should struggle this year, barring major injury.
So if he does, that might be the most damning thing of all. Though to be fair, Drew Brees wasn’t great until his fourth year in San Diego, so it’s not like there’s not a precedence for guys taking some time to mature as a player.
Mayfield will be put in a system that works for most players and will have a revamped team around him ready to help him march to the playoffs. So here are three reasons that Mayfield will break out in 2020.
An improved offensive line
The Cleveland Browns got racked in the passing game last year. Odell Beckham Jr. couldn’t catch a ball, the tight ends were as useful as a pasta strainer on the Titanic, and worst of all the offensive line was more akin to Sweden in World War 2. They were there, but they didn’t do a damn thing. Add on the archetype of anarchy in Freddie Kitchens and the most dysfunctional locker room this side of Little Giants and you got the 2019 Cleveland Browns.
The biggest offender, and arguably the hardest to rectify was the offensive line. The line isn’t something you can improve with just one new acquisition. Usually, it takes an entire revamping to fix this problem. The Browns did just that, almost. The team acquired top free agent Jack Conklin to shore up the right side of the offensive line and drafted Jedrick Wills to anchor the left side. They even drafted an interior lineman too, Nick Harris, but he isn’t expected to be that much of an impact this year.
In theory, the Browns offensive line is much improved. Wills has big shoes to fill and hopefully can do just that and Conklin will have to show his contract worth early and often. The team could still make moves to improve the offensive line, something the Browns are all about doing across the team at every position. Andrew Berry, the Cleveland Browns GM, has said that he’ll be looking to improve the team throughout the year.
So there’s still a chance that the team isn’t done improving the offensive line in the offseason.
Better and more complete pass-catching unit
Firstly, having a healthy receiving corp is going to make things so much better for this team. Sure, Odell Beckham Jr. has caught more injury bugs than touchdown passes in his career, but there’s always a chance he can stay healthy for an entire season. Jarvis Landry, like his good friend Beckham, was banged up and needed surgery last year. Both men are on the mend and are poised to have big seasons this year, assuming all goes well.
While behind them on the depth chart the Browns wide receiver pool is pretty barren, the fact that their two best receivers will apparently be ready for the regular season, healthier than ever, is a really reassuring fact.
Beyond them, the Browns upgraded their tight end depth. The team spent big money to bring in Austin Hooper, who should make a few Pro Bowls in Cleveland. He’s not only a great pass catcher but he’s a staunch blocker for a tight end. Joining him is Harrison Bryant, a player many consider to be a potential steal from the draft. The fourth-round pick out of Florida Athletic is expected to compete with David Njoku for playing time as the team’s second tight end option. Njoku returns to the club after spending most of the year prior on the bench. Even if Njoku doesn’t take back a spot on the starting rotation, as a third option among tight ends, you can’t do better than Njoku.
The Browns may still make a move or two to solidify the wide receivers, as Rashard Higgins is still a relatively unknown commodity among Browns players. Yet if he and Njoku are the team’s weakest links in the passing game, then the team is sitting pretty.
Talking less, working more
Baker Mayfield has a tendency to run off at the mouth. He’s not one to back down from anyone or anything. This has landed him in hot water from time to time and has not made too many allies on ESPN or Fox Sports 1. The one thing, however, that just about everyone agrees with is that Mayfield can throw. If he can focus more then maybe, just maybe, he can become an elite passer in the NFL.
Mayfield already has a slew of records to his name stemming from his rookie year and has shown what he’s capable of when he’s properly motivated, focused, and protected. To see him apparently more focused than ever before is a good thing. He’s taking time to get to know his teammates, work with coaches and players on the new schemes and has kept his mouth shut for most of the offseason, with the exception of a few interviews here or there that were largely innocuous.
This more laser-focused version of Mayfield should pay dividends in the regular season. Mayfield has shown to have the skillset and abilities to succeed in the NFL but what he needs to do is stop forcing things that aren’t there. That comes with experience and maturity. If his ability to keep himself out of the headlines is a sign that he’s matured, then his game should follow suit.
With everything we’ve seen so far from Mayfield, the additions to the team and the new offensive structure that’s being implemented to help Mayfield succeed, there are few reasons to doubt the Browns will be much improved offensively in 2020.