Cleveland Browns: Hue Jackson confident Baker Mayfield will bounce back

Former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson believes if Baker Mayfield can clean up his fundamentals, he will recover from his sophomore slump.

Since being fired as the Cleveland Browns head coach over a year ago, Hue Jackson and Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield have not had the best relationship. That became obvious when Mayfield and Jackson had an awkward exchange on the field weeks later when Jackson was an assistant for the Bengals.

After his brief stint with the Bengals, Jackson found himself without a job in the NFL for the 2019 season. Meanwhile, his former team and quarterback have dealt with a variety of struggles this season.

Mayfield’s regression during his sophomore season has been a major concern for the Browns. However, in an interview on The Pat McAfee Show on DAZN Thursday, Jackson said he is confident in Mayfield’s talent and he will bounce back from his down season.

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Jackson and Mayfield certainly have a complicated relationship, as Mayfield felt wronged by how he was coached by Jackson and how Jackson joined a division rival so soon after being fired. Jackson is clearly still a fan of Mayfield’s talent. However, what he said is the reason for Mayfield’s struggles this season is concerning.

"Now, you can see fundamentally, maybe there are some things that he’s not doing as well as he did in year one. Why that is? I don’t have that answer, I’m not there to say. But talent-wise, leadership-wise, moxie, passion for the game, determination, he has all of that. Somewhere, there is a disconnect. – Jackson via The Pat McAfee Show"

Jackson’s belief that Mayfield’s biggest issue is fundamentals would make sense considering Mayfield has had problems with accuracy this season. As the season has gone on, Mayfield has continued to make high throws and overthrow his receivers. He is also struggling to deal with the schemes defensive coordinators are throwing at him.

If it truly is a fundamental problem with Mayfield, it is just another indictment on the current coaching staff. Whether it be Freddie Kitchens, Todd Monken, or Ryan Lindley, one of the three should have been able to recognize the problem and fix it at this point of the season.

Mayfield should have improved on his rookie season considering how many weapons the Browns added for 2019. Instead, he has gotten worse and the offense has sputtered because of it. The biggest difference from last season is the coaching staff.

Mayfield is like other players on the roster. It appears several players are not being coached properly and they are showing it on the field. Whether it be mental mistakes or simple regression, there is a noticeable difference on the field.

If Mayfield’s problems this season are because of coaching, it would be hard to justify keeping the coaching staff the same in 2020. It may not mean firing Kitchens or Monken, but the organization has to find an answer in order to help Mayfield develop and improve.

It is clear Mayfield is a talented player and has a bright future. However, the coaching staff that is surrounding him currently may have been the worst fit possible. Granted, Mayfield did endorse Kitchens to be the head coach during the search in January, so Mayfield must have felt Kitchens was the right coach for what he needed.

With only two weeks remaining in the season, it is unlikely they can find the fix for Mayfield. But even if it cannot be fixed by the end of the season, Jackson feels Mayfield has all of the intangibles necessary to improve on his sophomore season.