Would Baker Mayfield being in 2020 MVP contention be a major surprise?

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield could be in for a make-or-break season in 2020, but he has the surroundings to be a surprise MVP candidate.

Entering the 2019 season, there were plenty of expectations surrounding Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. Much like the entire Browns 2019 campaign, Mayfield failed to live up to those expectations.

After a record-setting rookie year in 2018, Mayfield was expected to show more growth in 2019 and take a major leap into being a star in the NFL. With the addition of Odell Beckham Jr. during the 2019 offseason, the belief was Mayfield had all of the weapons he needed to take a substantial leap of progress during his sophomore season in the NFL.

One of the lofty expectations for Mayfield in 2019 was that he would be a MVP candidate. However, Mayfield sputtered behind a poor offensive line, as well as poor offensive play-calling, leading to Mayfield forcing throws and making poor decisions.

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After a season completing only 59.4 percent of his pass attempts for 3,827 yards, 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions, the expectations for Mayfield in 2020 are nowhere near the same as they were in 2019. Some even believe 2020 will be a make-or-break season for Mayfield and his long-term future in Cleveland.

However, there is a lot of reason to believe Mayfield will have a massive turnaround in 2020. Arguably the biggest downfall for Mayfield was his lack of trust in the offensive line, forcing him to focus on bailing out of the pocket instead of making throws and hitting windows. But with two new offensive tackles in Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills, the offensive line should show massive improvement in 2020.

With a greater trust in the offensive line, Mayfield will be more confident sitting in the pocket to survey the field and hit his weapons downfield. And speaking of Mayfield’s weapons, he has even more than he did in 2019.

The Browns retained their top two receivers in Beckham and Landry, as well as the dynamic backfield duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. But what is new is the addition of tight end Austin Hooper, who has proven to be a reliable receiver for Matt Ryan in Atlanta.

With several weapons on the field at the same time, it will be hard for defenses to matchup and maintain and tight coverage across the board. This will provide Mayfield with windows to throw into, especially since he will likely have more time behind the offensive line.

But most importantly, Mayfield will have a tailor-made offensive scheme. Mayfield thrived in play-action passing scenarios, which new head coach Kevin Stefanski relies on in his passing game. It forces the defense to move off their assignments, causing them to have to cover more ground. The play-action attack also helps move the pocket for Mayfield, giving him more room to make throws.

Mayfield will also have an offensive coordinator in Alex Van Pelt who has already seen areas to improve Mayfield’s technique. If Mayfield can fine tune his fundamentals, he will be better suited to make accurate throws, as well as being able to keep his footwork when moving around the pocket.

With Mayfield seemingly having all of the surroundings he needs to improve, there seems like he has a better opportunity of hitting his 2019 expectations this season compared to last season. Which is why Mayfield potentially being in MVP contention towards the end of the season should not be a major surprise in 2020.

The Browns will certainly have to be in playoff contention for Mayfield to be considered a serious candidate, which will be a tall task for a rookie head coach. However, Mayfield has all of the weapons and pieces around him to help him put up a strong statistical season.

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This is not to say that Mayfield is guaranteed to be an MVP candidate this season. But he has everything around him that he needs in order to be successful this season. And everything is built in a way that it should be a perfect situation for Mayfield and he has the opportunity to excel for the Browns this upcoming season.

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