Cleveland Browns, Baker Mayfield: To play or not to play?
Should he, or shouldn’t he sit?
In my opinion, the desire to sit Baker Mayfield is motivated by fear disguised as well-intentioned reason. It might be prudent for the Packers to sit Aaron Rodgers who has been nursing a knee injury since week one (I might mention he didn’t miss a game), or for a team like the Giants to rest Eli Manning to see what they have in a young quarterback.
But these reps are valuable for Baker Mayfield. In 2017, the Chicago Bears, even knowing they were going to be firing their coach, still allowed Mitch Trubisky to get snaps at the end of the season.
And if the goal is to shut down quarterbacks in meaningless games then the Jets should never have brought back Sam Darnold from his foot injury. The Bills should keep Josh Allen’s arm (and legs) in bubble wrap, and the Cardinals should sit Josh Rosen. But they won’t because those teams know that next season starts now, and I believe the Cleveland Browns understand that as well.
Top 5 receiving seasons since 1999. dark. Next
There is a disappointment as the euphoria of Saturday’s thrilling win was deflated by the Steelers doing what they always seem to do. However, for the first time in a long time, the future of the Cleveland Browns looks extremely bright. It’s not time to fan scared and it’s not time for the Browns to play their way into a higher draft pick. Next season starts now. Let’s get off to a 2-0 start!