3 Cleveland Browns with plummeting stock after Week 15 walk-off loss

Cleveland Browns plummeting stock No. 1: Quarterback Case Keenum

Case Keenum was supposed to be the quarterback starting this game for the Cleveland Browns against the Las Vegas Raiders. After Baker Mayfield was initially added to the Reserve/Covid list, Keenum spoke on his excitement to start with running back Nick Chubb behind him. Not long afterward, however, it was learned that Keenum also tested positive and would have to miss this game.

With him inactive, that put the game ball into the hands of practice squad quarterback Nick Mullens. While Mullens has started in the NFL previously for the San Francisco 49ers, he hasn’t seen any significant action since the 2020 season.

However, being on the practice squad for the Browns has likely served him well, as he understands the system and was able to step in confidently without much preparation time.

Case Keenum, however, may have seen his stock fall the most of anyone in Monday night’s game due to how Mullens performed. While nothing that Mullens did was eye-popping, it may have been enough to prove that he deserves a chance to be the second-string quarterback in Cleveland in place of Keenum.

For one, Keenum hasn’t shown much of anything himself when playing in relief of Baker Mayfield. Beyond that, the fact is that Keenum’s base salary of $6 million to be a backup quarterback is too big of a price tag, especially for a team like Cleveland that will be looking to extend many of their young core players in the next few seasons.

With the poise that Mullens showed on Monday night, including a fourth-quarter, go-ahead touchdown pass that could have very well won the Browns the game, he more than proved that he deserves the backup quarterback position in the longterm.