Is Baker Mayfield even the best quarterback on the Cleveland Browns?

The Cleveland Browns were active early in free agency, which included signing Kevin Stefanski favorite Case Keenum, who was brought in to backup Baker Mayfield. Will this be a positive or create controversy?

Injuries are inevitable in the NFL and can be devastating to a team at any position. Look at what happened to the Cleveland Browns in 2019 at safety. The Browns started with a ton of depth and ended up with Juston Burris and Sheldrick Redwine starting at the end of the season.

No would argue quarterback can be the position most impacted by injury, and after being sacked 40 times in 2019, it is amazing that Baker Mayfield wasn’t seriously injured. Mayfield was out for a few plays here and there with finger and hip issues, he but did not miss a start in 2019.

In those few plays Mayfield was sidelined, Garrett Gilbert was the Browns only option as the backup quarterback since Drew Stanton had a knee injury that put him on injured reserved. In five games of action, never playing more than a series or two, Gilbert failed to complete a pass.

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Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry fixed that problem on day one of free agency by bringing in veteran Case Keenum. Stefanski is familiar with Keenum after he started 14 games for the Vikings in the 2017 season, leading the team to the NFC Championship game. Keenum received a three-year, $18 million deal with $10 million in guarantees.

Browns reached agreement with former Redskins' QB Case Keenum on a three-year, $18 million deal that includes $10 million guaranteed, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2020

Keenum, who was undrafted in 2012 after an extremely successful collegiate career at the University of Houston, has turned into a bit of a journeyman. With a career record of 27-35, Keenum by far saw his most success with Stefanski in Minnesota, but has carried the label of “game manager”, which is highly desired for NFL backups. Keenum’s career stats include 75 touchdowns while completing 62 percent of his passes.

I struggle knowing that Keenum went 11-3 under Stefanski after Sam Bradford was injured in 2017. Given that success, will Stefanski be tempted to pull Mayfield at the first sign of struggle? It certainly will be tempting for someone who has seen coach after coach fired for not winning.

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The question now that must be asked, was Keenum brought in to teach Mayfield? Or challenge him for the starting position? It is unfair to judge Mayfield last season based on the coaching failures from 2019, but will this additional pressure help him get over a sophomore slump? One argument is the competition will be great for development, but don’t forget the side of putting too much pressure on the young quarterback that could lead to over analyzing and more mistakes.

After busting out of the gates as a rookie, Mayfield had a clear step back in 2019. In 2018, Mayfield started 13 games and totaled six wins, 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. One year later with 16 starts, Mayfield saw his win total stay the same at six, with 22 touchdowns and an alarming 21 interceptions. Any Browns fan could see the disorganization last year as head coach Freddie Kitchens was clearly in over his head.

The hope is that Keenum comes into Cleveland and helps Mayfield become a better pro and teaches him the ins and outs of Stefanski’s system. It’s a quarterback friendly system that Mayfield can be successful in. If Mayfield does end up injured, the Browns have a capable backup and the season doesn’t have to be a waste.

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The fear is Stefanski could get impatient. Browns fans are hungrier than any fan base to win. It will be easy to hit the panic button and put Keenum out there at the first sign of adversity. Mayfield needs another full year to prove he is the franchise quarterback. I’m cautiously optimistic the signing will be great to help progress Baker Mayfield in the crucial third year of his development.

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