Browns supporters are left thinking about the possibilities while Baker Mayfield enjoys his Pro Bowl success.
MJ or LeBron? Which party is it, Democratic or Republican? Jacob or Edward? Deshaun or Baker?
It’s possible that the latter is the most contentious discussion among Cleveland Browns supporters. And even after two seasons of the Deshaun Watson project, there are still flames burning brightly.
Opinions on how the Browns should have handled their quarterback situation in the 2021 summer are as loud as ever, whether they come from national TV experts, local journalists and radio presenters, or social media feuds between cliques that have become known as the “Baker Bros.” and “Watson Warriors.” Why?
Currently playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs, Baker Mayfield has been selected to his first Pro Bowl.
Despite missing two seasons from the field, the Browns’ 2018 No. 1 overall draft selection, Baker Mayfield, is still as divisive among the fan base as ever. Run out of town by General Manager Andrew Berry and Head Coach Kevin Stefanski, Mayfield departed Cleveland as the first quarterback to win a postseason game since Vinny Testaverde in 1994 and the first to lead the Browns to the playoffs since a combination of Tim Couch and Kelly Holcomb in the 2002 season.
In 2020, Mayfield eclipsed Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the number of victories he had as a starter at Cleveland Browns Stadium. He then guided the Browns to an 11-5 regular season record. Soon after, the team defeated the Roethlisberger-led Steelers in the Wild Card stage of the playoffs, only to lose to the Chiefs in the Divisional round.
Nevertheless, the front office and coaching staff of the Browns determined they required an upgrade.Let’s introduce Deshaun Watson.
Three-time Pro Bowler Watson was acquired by the Cleveland Browns through a highly publicized transaction in which the Texans received three first-round draft picks in return for the franchise quarterback, even though the star quarterback had been accused of sexual assault by over twenty women.
Even after accounting for his off-field problems, Watson has fallen short of expectations after two years of the record-breaking contract. Having only participated in 12 of the 34 games that could have been played, he hasn’t been available because of injury or the previously mentioned ban that cost him 11 games of his 2022 season.
The quality of play while Watson has been in the game has been, at best, erratic. Just this season, there has been a high point when they destroyed the Bengals, the reigning AFC North champions, in Week 1, followed by a low point when they faced the rival Steelers in Week 2. Week three saw Watson play maybe his best complete game of the season as the Titans were thrashed.
But during the game, he suffered a shoulder injury that would prevent him from playing for the next five weeks. Watson led an amazing 14-point comeback against the Ravens in Baltimore, where he didn’t throw an incomplete pass in 14 second-half pass attempts. Watson also led the team on a game-winning drive in the final minutes to propel a 33-31 victory over the division rivals, following a walk-off victory against the unfortunate Cardinals in week nine. However, it was revealed a few days later that he would miss the remainder of the campaign because of an unrelated shoulder injury.
The primary factor in replacing Mayfield with Watson, stability at the position, had once again eluded the
While everything was going on, Mayfield started every one of the Buccaneers’ 17 games, leading them to a 9-8 record and a division title in the unimpressive NFC South. From a statistical standpoint, Mayfield’s performance was essentially identical to his 2020 season with the Browns, despite his own struggles with consistency. It also concluded in the same way: with a win against the Eagles in the Wild Card round of the playoffs and a loss to the Lions in the Divisional round.
With their freshly named Pro Bowler due to become an unrestricted free agent, the Buccaneers are now anticipated to try to re-sign him in a deal that would be far larger than the $6.85 million, one-year contract Mayfield played under this season. The Browns, meanwhile, are not
This coming weekend, in beautiful weather and surrounded by palm trees, Mayfield will spend with his peers at the Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, prior to any potential contract negotiations. In the meantime, Cleveland recently saw its third cloudiest January in the previous 70 years. Will Baker’s sunshine eventually be reclaimed by Watson and the Browns, or is this a premonition of things to come? Time will tell, but in the meantime, the arguments continue.
