Cleveland Browns: Size still a limitation for Baker Mayfield?

It’s low hanging fruit, but is size a limitation for Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield?

Longtime NFL analyst Andy Benoit knows it’s low hanging fruit. But size is size, and compared to other field generals, Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is one of the smaller signal callers in the league.

While it seems easy to nit-pick over size, Benoit does have a point. If you have the chance to create a franchise quarterback in a lab, you’re probably not making him 6-foot-1.

That said, Benoit, who has previously wrote for Sports Illustrated and THE MMQB, recently noted on 92.3 The Fan that just because Mayfield isn’t 6-foot-4, doesn’t mean the former Heisman winner can’t overcome this limitation.

Other quarterback’s have adjusted, most notably, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson. It has been done before and can be done again.

1. The big adjustment teams seemed to make against Mayfield in 2019 was to let him sit in the pocket. When we watched Mayfield as a rookie, his bread and butter looked to be making accurate passes while rolling out. Defenses noted it and adjusted accordingly.

2. Now, the offensive line was bad, as the line gave him 2.78 seconds to throw. but Mayfield didn’t do his front five any favorite, as noted by Pro Football Focus.

3. It’s also important to note that of quarterbacks who attempted at least 400 pass attempts, Mayfield’s 2.78 seconds was the 15th most allotted time to unload the ball. He wasn’t sitting back their like a king on the throne, but perhaps the duress wasn’t ALL the line’s fault.

"“Great quarterbacks have the ability to mitigate offensive line issues with pocket presence and decision making. But this season, Mayfield has only made his front-five look worse.”"

4. When in the pocket, Mayfield posted a passer rating of 44.9, the second-worst mark in football. During his rookie campaign in 2018, that figure was at 100.00. For a time during the 2019 campaign, he also posted the lowest passer among quarterback’s not under pressure.

5. OK, you just read a bunch of disturbing stats from what was a dumpster fire of a season. If there is a 2020 schedule to be played, Mayfield’s career should start trending back in a positive direction.

6. That has to be with new head coach Kevin Stefanski. The VIkings’ former offensive coordinator is brining his zone blocking scheme to the offense. When it’s working the way it’s supposed to, defenses won’t know the difference between a pass or run play because the movement of the line will be the same.

7. For someone who might be limited by height, having this extra time can be Godsend. Plus, there’s opportunities for plays designed to move the pocket, or to simply get Mayfield rolling out. Remember, at one point, Brian Hoyer was 7-4 in a zone blocking scheme back in 2014.

8. Mayfield seems up to challenge, and from hearing him talk earlier this offseason, it seems like he’s been humbled. It was just December when Mayfield scoffed he didn’t need to be taught how to make a three-step drop.

With the new coaches in place, footwork became a top priority.

9. Mayfield doesn’t have to be Patrick Mahomes, but he’s got to be closer to what he was in 2018, when he set the rookie record for passing touchdowns. His line is improved and he has the weapons. With a new scheme in place, the onus is on him to lift the offense up.