No 1. Baker Mayfield
Did Baker Mayfield have a bad sophomore season? Yes. Did he regress in some areas leaving reasonable room for concern? Yes.
For those who are out on Mayfield already, answer these next few questions.
How bad was the offensive line last year? How bad was Freddie Kitchens as a play-caller? How many different coaches and playbooks has he gone through already?
As of right now, Mayfield is still the clear future at quarterback for the Browns going into this season. Why does he need to step up you ask? He is the leader of the entire team.
If Mayfield is not playing well, it changes the entire game. Mayfield was second in the league last year for interceptions thrown with 21. How many were not his fault? Quite a few.
Regardless, it’s still an area of concern. As frustrating as it can be that the Browns will open up the new season in Baltimore against the Ravens, this is Mayfield’s biggest game of his career so far.
No matter what it means to him, it will be his time to quiet the haters and shut up the doubters. If you look at the Browns schedule after week one, they host the Bengals on TNF and then the Redskins, both teams with young quarterbacks and average rosters. No, this is not saying the Browns will start this next season 3-0, but could you imagine coming out of week one with a win like that?
Mayfield is a good quarterback, there is no question. If the Browns want to compete and be great, he needs to be great. So far this offseason, we have not heard much from Mayfield, a very good sign. If Mayfield continues to keep his head down and be great, the sky is the limit for this team.