Cleveland Browns first-year general manager Andrew Berry praised Baker Mayfield‘s performance this season and attributed part of the quarterback’s inconsistency to an “unprecedented year” in the NFL due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think Baker has done a nice job. He has done a nice job of putting us in a position to win games in the first eight weeks of the season,” Berry said Wednesday in a video call with reporters. “I think we have all seen him progress throughout on a week-to-week basis. He has done a nice job of learning the system and getting more comfortable in the system and, again, ultimately putting the team in a position to win. So we are certainly pleased with it from that perspective.”
Despite losing Sunday to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Browns are 5-3 heading into their bye this weekend and hold a better than 50% chance of snapping the NFL’s longest playoff drought of 18 years, according to ESPN FPI. Mayfield, meanwhile, has played better overall this season after struggling throughout his second year in 2019.
He ranks 12th in the NFL with a Total QBR of 73.2, a big jump from last season, when he finished 19th with a QBR of 54.4.
In a 37-34 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 25, Mayfield broke a franchise record with 21 consecutive completions while tossing five touchdown passes, including the game winner in the final seconds.
But Mayfield has had some rough moments too. In blowout losses to AFC North rivals Baltimore and Pittsburgh, Mayfield threw interceptions on the opening drives, including a pick-six against the Steelers, which ignited them to a 38-7 rout of Cleveland.
Still, Berry said he has been pleased with Mayfield’s progress, especially considering the quarterback is playing for his fourth head coach in three years and has had to learn yet another offensive scheme, this time through a virtual offseason amid a pandemic.
“He’s done a nice job of learning the system and getting more comfortable in the system,” Berry said. “And again, ultimately putting the team in a position to win.”
Mayfield is heading into a critical offseason, at which point he will be eligible for an extension. The Browns also will have a decision to make on whether to pick up the fifth-year option on the 2018 No. 1 pick.
Asked whether Mayfield has proved that he is in fact Cleveland’s “franchise quarterback,” Berry said he doesn’t “get too caught up in that type of narrative.”
“All I know is that I think Baker has played well and he has done a nice job during these first eight weeks,” Berry said. “He has allowed us to play winning football. We’ve had winning football from [the quarterback] position. Expect him to keep doing that over the second half of the year.
“And look, we’re going to be in a good place as a team and organization if that is the case.”
