Cleveland Browns rumors say Baker Mayfield not going deep in his reads

The latest Cleveland Browns rumors are troubling for quarterback Baker Mayfield, indicating the the fourth-year veteran isn’t going very deep into his progressions.

Mayfield’s stock is down coming out of the bye, and this latest nugget, which comes from Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto is troubling.

Pluto noted how he’s hearing Mayfield gets through the “first or second option, and that was it,” while questioning the quarterback’s confidence now, compared to this time last season.

These are fair questions concerning Mayfield, mostly because the Browns are facing a decision on their former 2018 No. 1 overall pick.

If Mayfield had three years left to play, you’d bring him back and see what happens. But an extension is looming, and since the Browns have already picked up his fifth-year option, he’ll earn $18 million next season.

Browns rumors coincide with Baker Mayfield trending wrong way

ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum ranks quarterbacks for ESPN, and Mayfield checks in at 23 (through Dec. 8) among the 39 on the list. If you think that’s bad, at least Mayfield is no longer No. 27, which he was last week. If you’re wondering,  yes, Mayfield moved up without actually playing a game last week.

Pro Football Focus, (subscription required) which was a big advocate of Mayfield coming out in the draft, ranks him 23 among 29 quarterbacks who have played at least half their snaps.

I contend the Brows will bring Mayfield back in 2021, but who knows, a trade is always possible. That said, you wonder if the Browns feel a sense of urgency to do something, with players at other positions, such as Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in their primes.

The next five games are going to be big for Mayfield. Can he carry the Browns to a 4-1 mark, which probably gets them into the playoffs, or do they go 2-3 and the fan base sees more of the same.

If it’s the later, get ready for a long offseason of quarterback debate.