3 non-Baker Mayfield storylines to pay attention to in the Cleveland Browns home opener

The Cleveland Browns season opener comes with a lot of questions.

The Cleveland Browns are not coming into the 2022 season stacked as some want you to believe. Serious questions remain across this team, despite having several Pro Bowl caliber players. The team’s lack of a reliable quarterback isn’t even the question that is most uncertain.

We know what the Browns quarterback situation is going forward, for now, it’s not good and it may not get much better as the season turns into seasons. For 2022, however, there are a lot of lingering questions that can and will affect the Browns just as much, if not more, than who’s under center.

And ironically, those storylines will play out on Sunday and they have nothing to do with former Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. So what are the biggest storylines heading into the season this year?

Three biggest question marks surrounding the Cleveland Browns on Sunday

How is the offensive line after its massive shakeup?

The Cleveland Browns offensive line took a step back last year with the static nature of Jedrick Wills and the injuries to Jack Conklin, arguably the team’s best all-around blocker, being out for most of the year with injuries.

The Browns did themselves no favors by releasing J.C. Tretter and then were hurt with a string of injuries to the guys they brought in to replace him. Now that the Browns are without Tretter and are relying on Ethan Pocic, the Browns have to be mindful that this offensive line may not be as good as it once was.

Will the Browns’ secondary be improved at all?

The Browns’ secondary has been a sore spot for years. While the team has nice depth at the cornerback spot, the team has not yet truly improved their safety positions, despite attempts to do so. Numerous drafted players and free agents haven’t been able to secure the position and the team was among the league worst in passing touchdowns given up in 2021 (9th most with 29).

Is Kevin Stefanski the guy to call the plays?

The question of whether or not the Browns are in good hands with Kevin Stefanski will be on full display in 2022. There were doubts in 2020 but they were brushed off with people pointing out he’s a rookie head coach and has only called plays at the NFL level once before. Now he’s into his fourth year calling plays, and 2021 was a disaster. He over-relied on his quarterback whose destroyed shoulder forced him to augment his throwing mechanic, which hurt his productivity. Despite knowing this, Stefanski still called on his quarterback to throw far too much.

With a more game-manager at quarterback, more akin to what Stefanski had in Case Keenum, what will the Browns look like? They didn’t go with Keenum last for that very same reason, being a less than dynamic passer, and so with Brissett being the man under center, will Stefanski be able to get the most out of him and the offense? Time will tell.