Even after four years of starting for the Browns, it’s still not clear what quarterback Baker Mayfield will become.
This year, his performance has been undermined by a series of injuries, starting with a shoulder that he dislocated while making a tackle after throwing an interception in Week Two against the Texans.
That resulted in Mayfield playing with a harness. Although Mayfield insisted he was fine, he clearly wasn’t. On Friday, Cleveland offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt admitted to reporters, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, that the harness “handcuffed him a little bit. . . . It’s definitely hindered him.”
Coach Kevin Stefanski explained that Mayfield changed harnesses during the season, and that he had to get used to it.
Van Pelt added that he’s eager to see what Mayfield will do without the harness in 2022. This implies that Mayfield will still be there in 2022.
Maybe he will. Maybe the Browns will try to find an upgrade. Maybe Mayfield will decide that he’s had enough. Regardless, it doesn’t currently feel like a lock that he’ll be back.
In some respects, the final analysis may hinge on what happens during the final two games of the regular season, along with the playoffs. If the Browns make it there.