For the last year and a half, I’ve repeated one question almost instinctively when asked about Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield: “Who at the quarterback position peaked in their first year?”
Outside of injury-addled quarterbacks like Robert Griffin III, you’d be hard-pressed to find many more examples. But after a year and a half of not only not progressing but also regressing in key aspects of the position, it’s time to add Mayfield as an answer to that question.
While Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski insisted that Mayfield’s benching Sunday was purely for health reasons after the quarterback entered the game with a chest injury, that same injury can’t be used as an excuse for his disastrous performance.