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

Baker Mayfield is still a massive question mark

And all of this is why the Browns need to keep the Wentz situation in mind when debating Baker Mayfield’s future. Philadelphia won a Super Bowl without their supposed franchise QB, and have fallen apart since then; the worst part is, there is no light at the end of the tunnel for that team; they’re just entering the tunnel.

The Browns have to make a decision on Mayfield’s fifth-year option, and the first 10 games of this season have given the team zero clarity. Mayfield’s rookie season was fantastic. He looked like a surefire franchise QB. 2019 was a completely different story. Mayfield regressed in every way, throwing 21 interceptions. He lacked the accuracy and decisiveness he showed as a rookie and struggled to get superstar Odell Beckham Jr. involved consistently.

Mayfield’s 2020 has been a mixed bag. He had the best three-quarters of his football career (college or pro) against the Cincinnati Bengals, which came on the heels of his worst pro game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s at 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions on the season, but his yards per attempt and per completion are at career-low marks.

He’s not been bad these last three games in the Cleveland weather, but he’s also not thrown a touchdown since Week 7. He missed two easy throws in the red zone against Philly that would have gone for scores. He also made some key plays on third down later in the game to keep drives alive. And in spite of all the inconsistency, he’s 7-3.