Denver Broncos should stay away from Baker Mayfield in 2022
With the 2022 quarterback market set to be very volatile, the Denver Broncos should stay far away from Baker Mayfield as a possibility.
One of the more surprising developments in the 2022 NFL season was the regression from the Cleveland Browns and quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield, coming off a very efficient 2020 season, was expected to take another leap in Kevin Stefanski’s offense. However, due to many factors, Mayfield has clearly regressed as a passer.
We can talk all day about why Mayfield seemed to regress, whether it was due to COVID absences, injury, or otherwise, but the case is clear: the Denver Broncos should stay far away from the possibility of making a trade for Mayfield.
It seems as if every quarterback in the NFL is being rumored to Denver, and Baker Mayfield is the newest player in that mix.
Many across the league see Mayfield as the weak point on the Cleveland Browns. They further argue this by pointing out that Odell Beckham, Jr, ever since signing with the Los Angeles Rams, has enjoyed a late-season resurgence that was not ever present with the Browns.
They also make note of Cleveland’s loaded roster, especially along the offensive line, as reasons why the team should be better.
It does seem as if Mayfield has been a large reason why the Browns will fail to make the playoffs in 2021, and I would hope the Denver Broncos stay far away from him.
In his 4 full seasons as a starter, Mayfield has produced two decent seasons and two bad seasons.
His second and fourth year in the NFL saw him pass for a combined 39 touchdowns and 34 interceptions.
His first and third seasons have seen him produce a total of 53 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.
In my opinion, Baker Mayfield needs quite a bit of talent around him to even be decent. In 2020, Mayfield enjoyed his best season, where he threw for 26 touchdown passes, 8 interceptions, and earned a passer rating of 95.9. His completion percentage was a low 62.8% and he only threw for 3,563 yards.
Ask yourselves this: do the Broncos have the talent around Baker Mayfield to allow him to succeed as he did in 2020? Probably, yes.
Also, ask yourselves this: will the Broncos be able to hire the correct coach for Baker Mayfield to allow him to flourish in the bootleg action, run-heavy offense?
Sure, the Broncos have a talented running game, and talented receivers to catch the ball, but, in my opinion, Baker Mayfield needs too much help, too much to go right within the offense to succeed.
We have seen the Denver Broncos employ this strategy ever since Peyton Manning retired after the 2015 season; they build a very talented roster and hope the offense can hold its own.
Plus, there is no guarantee that Mayfield can return to his old ways if he ends up on the Denver Broncos.
Sure, he’s still young, but acquiring Baker Mayfield would give the Broncos the 4th best quarterback in the division if Derek Carr stays put.
I just see too many negatives, too many drawbacks to get behind a Baker Mayfield-led offense.