After going 0-16 last season and bad quarterback play, the Browns have brought in a new group of quarterbacks. So how will the Browns utilize these new quarterbacks this season?
The Cleveland Browns hired John Dorsey to lead the search for finding the team’s new franchise quarterback. One year prior as the Kansas City Chiefs general manager, Dorsey landed the Chiefs’ franchise quarterback in Patrick Mahomes.
Dorsey did just that for Cleveland when he drafted Baker Mayfield with the first overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft.
But it is the other moves that Dorsey made in the quarterback room that will help Mayfield become a solid franchise quarterback.
Cleveland traded a third round pick to the Buffalo Bills for Tyrod Taylor. The expectation is that Taylor will be the team’s starting quarterback for the entire season, giving Mayfield time to adjust to the NFL.
They then signed Drew Stanton in free agency to be the backup quarterback. Stanton is an established backup and will be key in helping Mayfield’s development.
Cleveland has had miserable quarterback play the last two years, so Dorsey felt the need to clean out the entire quarterback room and bring in his own quarterbacks.
The Browns also signed Brogan Roback to be the team’s fourth string quarterback. Roback is a rookie out of Eastern Michigan, but will only be a camp arm for the Browns. He will likely land on the team’s practice squad, but he will not play a role in the 2018 season.
With the three main quarterbacks in mind, how will their roles play out in 2018?
Tyrod Taylor
The Browns traded for Taylor before free agency began, showing to other organizations that Cleveland was not going to be playing around this offseason. In Taylor, the Browns are getting arguably the most talented quarterback the team has had since they returned in 1999.
Last season, Taylor threw for 2,799 yards with 14 touchdowns and only four interceptions on a 62.6 completion percentage in 15 games.
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With the Browns leading the league last season with 28 interceptions, having a quarterback that can take care of the ball is a welcomed sight for Browns fans. But his conservative play can rub some fans the wrong way.
Taylor only threw for 186.6 yards per game last season and an average of only 201.3 yards per game in his three seasons with the Bills. He does not like to take a lot of chances with the ball, as he prefers to dump it down to his check down receiver instead of forcing a ball into tight windows.
One reason for that is he has never had the most talented receivers when playing for Buffalo. In Cleveland, he will be throwing to Josh Gordon and Jarvis Landry, two of the best receivers in the NFL. He will also get to throw to David Njoku, who is one of the most talented young tight ends in the NFL right now.
With those weapons around him, Taylor should play well as Cleveland’s starting quarterback. Because of the presence of Stanton, Taylor does not have to take the responsibility of mentoring Mayfield. Not having to focus on gameplans and helping Mayfield transition at the same time will help Taylor to focus solely on winning games every week.
Drew Stanton
When Cleveland signed Stanton to a two year contract in March, it was quite surprising to some Browns fans. Not just because of the signing, but because of the length of the deal.
Stanton played in five games last season for Arizona, starting in four. He threw for 894 yards and six touchdowns with five interceptions on a 49.7 completion percentage.
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Although he has a low career completion percentage of 52.4, he is able to manage games when he is forced in to play and not making the situation worse than what it already is. That is one of the biggest strengths a backup quarterback needs to have.
But the biggest role that Stanton will have in 2018 is helping Mayfield behind the scenes. One of the hardest parts of the transition from college to the pros is understanding the playbook and breaking down NFL defenses.
Instead of Mayfield trying to do that on his own, he will have Stanton with him as a resource. Stanton has been in the league for a long time, so he will know all the tricks to help Mayfield along the way. Having Stanton to help Mayfield allows Taylor to focus on being the starting quarterback and not have to worry about being Mayfield’s mentor.
The Browns signing to a two year deal furthers the point that he will be Mayfield’s mentor. Taylor is due to be a free agent at the end of the season and will likely not be with the team for the 2019 season, handing over the starting reins to Mayfield.
But Stanton will still be on the team as the backup and will still be a resource for Mayfield as he transitions to being the starting quarterback. Being Mayfield’s guide to the NFL makes Stanton’s role a valuable one in 2018.
Baker Mayfield
The Cleveland Browns drafted Mayfield first overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, surprising most draft pundits. But his attitude and abilities could be the perfect fit for the Browns organization.
In Mayfield’s 2017 Heisman campaign, he threw for 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns with only six interceptions on a 70.5 completion percentage. He also rushed for 311 yards and five touchdowns last season.
Mayfield is a highly accurate quarterback that can throw to every part of the field. He has a very similar play style as Taylor, so the Browns coaching staff will not have to dramatically change the playbook if Mayfield is forced to play.
The biggest difference in Taylor and Mayfield is Mayfield’s willingness to stretch the field and take chances. Although he prefers to keep throws in the short and intermediate range and make high percentage throws, he is not afraid to sling the ball downfield.
Mayfield also has a very good attitude when it comes to the quarterback situation. He understands that the plan is to take his transition to the NFL slowly and not rush him into learning everything at once.
Even though he knows this plan, he is also not going to become less competitive, as he is going to do whatever it takes to become the team’s starting quarterback. But from what it appears, there is almost no chance that Mayfield starts a game until the very end of the season.
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If the Browns want to play this situation smart, they sit Mayfield the entire season, which is what they plan to do. Dorsey made a similar situation last season with Mahomes and Alex Smith in Kansas City work, even though he was not with the organization by the time the season started. And it appears it helped Mahomes development exponentially. The Browns hope the same will happen with Mayfield this season.