Cleveland Browns: Carson Wentz nosedive necessitates caution with Baker Mayfield’s future

Carson Wentz presents a cautionary tale for Cleveland Browns

It seems as if Paul DePodesta’s entirely unnecessary comment from 2016 has been vindicated; Carson Wentz is by no means a top-20 quarterback in today’s NFL, and the Cleveland Browns got a first-hand look at how far Wentz has fallen. The trade was always the correct move, but now Wentz is impacting the Browns in a very different way; his plummet from MVP candidate to bottom-five starter should give Cleveland pause with Baker Mayfield‘s contract situation, so that the Browns do not make the same mistake.

Wentz had a successful rookie campaign in 2016, throwing for over 3,700 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He led the Eagles to a 7-9 record, and the future looked bright. He took the next step in 2017, as he was a legitimate MVP candidate, going 11-2 as a starter and throwing 33 touchdowns to just seven picks. Unfortunately, Wentz suffered a torn ACL late in the season, Nick Foles took over as the starter, and the rest is history. Wentz again dealt with injuries in 2018, but was solid that year and in 2019 as well.

He’s completely fallen off a cliff in 2020. Through 10 games, the Eagles are 3-6-1. Wentz is completing just 58.4 percent of his passes with 14 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. Wentz has also fumbled 10 times this season. He was leading the league with 23 turnover-worthy plays after nine weeks, and that number clearly went up against Cleveland. He looks like an unprepared rookie, missing basic reads and forcing the ball where it shouldn’t be forced.