“Baker Mayfield was supposed to elevate the receivers not get them cut” Shannon Sharpe believes the former #1 pick is the problem in Cleveland
Shannon Sharpe and Baker Mayfield
There have been many debates in Cleveland about Baker Mayfield. There are large amounts of people that believe he is the problem with the Browns and an equally large amount of people that feel he needs more support.
What Baker Mayfield really needed was a solid 2021 season but he had anything but that. He finished the season having thrown for 3010 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 14 starts. In his defense, a shoulder injury played a large role in Mayfield’s struggles last season.
But, even if you take away 2021, Baker Mayfield hasn’t been anything special. He’s had double-digit interceptions in every season except one and that simply isn’t good enough considering he doesn’t throw very many touchdowns. It certainly isn’t good considering he was the #1 overall pick in 2018.
The Browns seem to be giving him the support he needs for 2022 by trading for Amari Cooper. However, while they brought in Cooper, they released one of Mayfield’s top targets in Jarvis Landry. Shannon Sharpe believes Mayfield played a role in his receiver getting cut.
Shannon Sharpe calls out Baker Mayfield for his poor play in 2021
In a segment of Fox Sports’ ‘Undisputed’, Shannon Sharpe was quoted saying “It reflects poorly on him(Baker Mayfield). Everybody that came there, Odell was a #1 on the Giants. Jarvis came from the Dolphins where he was a #1 receiver. Now all of a sudden, Baker Mayfield was supposed to elevate these guys as opposed to them getting cut.”
Sharpe further added “A problem I have with Cleveland also is that Jarvis missed a lot of time last year because of his knee injury. His production dropped. Nobody made any excuse about that. But with Baker, somebody is always saying he had a torn labrum and a broken arm. I don’t want to hear anything about any injuries.”
Sharpe concluded by saying “It’s being reported that the Browns are having a sit-down with Deshaun Watson. Why would a team that has a #1 draft pick at the quarterback position want to talk to Deshaun Watson? You know why. And so does everybody in Cleveland. He(Baker Mayfield) is not that guy. He is not that good.”
In terms of the Browns actually trading for Deshaun Watson, that seems extremely unlikely at this point given what the Texans want for him. It just seems very difficult for the Browns to raise that capital. So, that means they’ll likely stick with Baker Mayfield for 2022 at least and that’s where having Amari Cooper really helps.
It’s now or never for Baker Mayfield to show that he can be a legitimate quarterback in the NFL. If he can’t play at a higher level than what he has shown in the past, the Browns are sure to move on from him for 2023.
Roshan Anand
(278 Articles Published)