Cleveland Browns: The Progression of Baker Mayfield at quarter-mark

Where Baker should be by midway point

There is a good chance Mayfield’s interception number will take a bit of an uptick by the time we hit the midway point of the season, but this will also mean the element of Brett Favre may be back into his game. By the midway point of the season, it would be a good sign of improvement to see Mayfield let it fly and cut back on the amount of time he is double-clutching passes and not trusting his eyes.

The second main area of improvement to see from Mayfield would be his tendency to continue to bail out of the pocket when he senses pressure. Clearly his internal timer is working well and is present, but instead of bailing on the pocket as that timer winds down, a massive improvement would be for Mayfield to slide through the pocket, navigate space, and step up to throw a dart.

The bottom line, however, is this: the Browns should have no reason to have Mayfield on a timer. They have him under contract for at least another season, with his fifth-year option pending after that. A player who has shown the ability accept good coaching, take it to heart, and show it on the field is a player worth investing in. Mayfield is exactly that kind of player.

The Mayfield stocks are trending in the right direction, and this next stretch of games heading towards the midway point of the season will prove as a crucial signifier of his development. In his first year under a new head coach and in a new system he has never played in, the reward remains this: so far, so good.