Browns: Baker Mayfield is once again putting up great numbers

Baker Mayfield is having another quietly great season for the Browns.

The Browns need to lock up Baker Mayfield with a new contract sooner rather than later. Despite some people wanting him to fail, for whatever reason, Mayfield has continuously proven time and time again that he’ll defy expectations. Now that Odell Beckham Jr. has been tossed out like D.J. Jazzy Jeff after he bothered Uncle Phil one too many times, Mayfield seems to be back to his regular, play-making self.

Not only that, but the fourth-year quarterback is quietly putting up career highs in several key categories, while also being a surprising top-five quarterback in others. Doing all this, mind you, with a torn-up and broken left shoulder. Keep that in mind. He’s dealing with an injury most people wouldn’t be able to deal with for a week, let alone a four-month season.

So what all has Baker Mayfield been doing this year?

Baker Mayfield is quietly doing it again

The Browns and Browns faithful should really start to appreciate this dude. Mayfield isn’t just leading the team to another winning season (currently), but he’s doing it with only one good shoulder and playing through incredible pain.

Despite that, he’s currently 12th in the league in QBR (was 10th last year), and he’d be higher if guys like Jarvis Landry, Austin Hooper, and Odell Beckham were able to actually step up and play to their contracts.

He’s also posting a career-high, so far, with a 66% completion percentage. A good number to be at, and a number that would’ve been much higher if he had receivers who ran their routes correctly and caught things that were thrown to him.

So far in 2021, he’s only had one game where he completed less than 60% of his passes and has only thrown one interception in his last 145 attempts (only three on the year). Not only that but this is the most yards he’s ever thrown through his first eight games of a season, the least amount of interceptions through his first eight games, and the most accurate he’s been through his first eight games.

Oh, and he’s currently fifth in passing yards per reception. So not only is he completing passes more than ever before, he’s completing them for more yards than all but four other quarterbacks currently. Destroying the notion that he isn’t pushing the offense.

He’s doing all this while only being 25th in the NFL in attempts, and being 5th in the NFL in sacks. Not only is he throwing the ball better than ever before but he’s doing so with more guys in his face than ever before.

Anyone who says the Browns can “easily replace Mayfield” is unaware of how hard it is to find someone as good as Mayfield. Cleveland shouldn’t mess around any longer, lock this dude up long-term. All he does is win and produce. What more do you need from your quarterback?