Cleveland Browns free agency moves set Baker Mayfield up for success

The Cleveland Browns began free agency with a bang. The first day of commitments should prove to be what Baker Mayfield needs to take a leap in his career.

This season will be make-or-break for Baker Mayfield. The Cleveland Browns free agency moves are solidifying an offense where Mayfield should be able to thrive under new head coach Kevin Stefanski. Adding a solid offensive lineman in the draft would put a bow on things.

An overlooked move was placing a second-round tender on running back Kareem Hunt. Hunt has certainly had his issues off the field but at his best can be a top back in the league. In his two seasons with the Chiefs, Hunt totaled almost 3,000 yards from scrimmage with 25 total touchdowns.

While he won’t be asked to carry the load, getting around 40 percent of that production as a backup would be major for this offense. Especially at around $3.25 million.

The major move was bringing in tight end Austin Hooper from the Falcons. The Browns opened the bank to make Hooper the highest-paid tight end in the NFL at four years for $42 million.

Stefanski’s offense in Minnesota led the league in 12 personnel sets at a 57 percent rate. Hooper has a career 77 percent catch rate with over 70 receptions in each of the past two seasons. Mayfield will have an additional safety net in Hooper as he continues to learn the new offense.

General manager Andrew Berry has begun to address the subpar offensive line with the signing of Jack Conklin. Conklin will provide a huge boost for protecting Mayfield and opening holes for Nick Chubb as he did with the Titans.

Last but not least, the Browns brought in Case Keenum on a three-year deal to back up Mayfield.

Keenum is familiar with Stefanski’s offense from his time with the Vikings and had a career season. He will serve as a mentor to Mayfield on the ins and outs of the offense and being an overall professional. It also could be an insurance policy if Mayfield struggles.

The front office seems to be committed to Mayfield as their quarterback of the future. He will have all the tools he needs to be a true franchise quarterback, barring major injury of course. The time is now for Mayfield to show a significant return on investment.