Things just got interesting for the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers.
After months of speculation, the teams finalized a deal on Wednesday that sent quarterback Baker Mayfield to Carolina in exchange for a 2024 conditional draft pick. The pick will come in either the fourth or fifth round—which will be determined based on how much time Mayfield plays in a Panthers uniform.
This now sets Carolina up for an intriguing offseason. The team came off a five-win season in 2021 with Sam Darnold as the quarterback. Darnold came two selections after Mayfield (who was the first overall pick) in the 2018 NFL Draft.
It will be interesting to see if Panthers Head Coach Matt Rhule decides to keep Darnold as the play caller or see if Mayfield can improve on the team’s 5-12 record.
Recapping Mayfield’s career in Cleveland
The coronavirus ridden 2020 season provided the football world with constant uncertainty—except for the Cleveland Browns, who finished with an 11-5 regular season record. It looked like General Manager Andrew Berry and the team found their quarterback of the future in Baker Mayfield.
2020 was Mayfield’s best season to date, as he threw 26 touchdowns compared to just eight interceptions. He earned a passer rating of 95.9—the highest of his career. But for the Cleveland fanbase, that year meant more than just numbers.
Mayfield’s outstanding season culminated in the team’s first trip to the NFL playoffs since 2002. The Browns defeated one of their most hated foes, the Pittsburgh Steelers, on the road for the franchise’s first playoff win since the days of Bill Belichick (1994 to be exact).
That is not to say that Mayfield had his struggles in Cleveland.
Prior to the 2020 campaign, Mayfield threw a total of 35 interceptions in two seasons. That ties for the 10th most interceptions a quarterback has thrown in his first two years—ever.
Mayfield’s “run it back” season in 2021 was compromised in a Week 2 matchup against the Houston Texans. He suffered a torn labrum in his left, non-throwing shoulder. It required him to wear a brace as he continued through the year.
But it didn’t get any better for Cleveland, as Mayfield threw 13 interceptions. In a season where they were in talks to make the Super Bowl, the Browns managed just eight wins and missed the 2022 postseason.
The acquisition of former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson back on March 18 was the nail in the coffin to Mayfield’s tenure on the southern shores of Lake Erie.
Browns move on
Cleveland can now throw all of its speculation surrounding Baker Mayfield out the window and focus on staying afloat if Deshaun Watson is suspended.
The NFL and its players’ association await a decision from Judge Sue L. Robinson on what (or if a) punishment will be imposed after a three-day internal disciplinary hearing last week.
Seventh-year man Jacoby Brissett will most likely be Cleveland’s quarterback if Watson is unavailable to play. Brissett is coming off a 2021 season with Miami where he threw five touchdowns and four interceptions. He has averaged a passer rating of 83 for his career.
But Browns fans should not panic, as the team is tied for the 17th easiest schedule (based on opponent winning percentage) in 2022. The total winning percentage of their opponents this year is 49.5%. Cleveland’s first four games of 2022 are as follows:
at Carolina Panthers (5-12 in 2021; missed playoffs)
vs. New York Jets (4-13 in 2021; missed playoffs)
vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7-1 in 2021; lost in Wild Card)
at Atlanta Falcons (7-10 in 2021; missed playoffs)
With the Browns’ elite running game powered by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to complement their titanic defensive line of Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, there is a tremendous opportunity for them to start the season off at 4-0.
Cleveland’s dominant run-game can help take some pressure off Brissett to continually have to make plays from the air. That will especially be beneficial in a close competition or a game that sees inclement weather.
Adding a future draft pick back to the roster also helps. The Browns traded away a total of six draft picks for the rights to sign Deshaun Watson back in March. Three of those picks were first rounders.
Sweet Carolina
If there is one true positive the Panthers have going into the season with Baker Mayfield, it is that he can step up to the table if Sam Darnold is in fact the starting quarterback and gets injured.
Darnold suffered two injuries in the span of two weeks last season. In a Week 8 game against the Falcons, Darnold sustained a concussion in the fourth quarter. The very next week against the Patriots, Darnold cracked the shoulder scapula in his throwing arm.
That forced Carolina to re-sign their 2015 MVP quarterback, Cam Newton. He won his first game back with the Panthers before losing seven straight contests to end 2021.
Newton is now a free agent.
The main target Darnold and Mayfield will have to keep their eyes on is running back Christian McCaffrey. After being drafted by the Panthers in 2017, McCaffrey has accumulated 3,587 rushing yards. But he has not had a 1,000-yard rushing season since 2019.
He has also scored just two touchdowns in the last two years.
McCaffrey is one of the most important engines to Carolina’s train. That engine will be heavily dependent on how his quarterbacks perform.
Both Mayfield and Darnold will have to be able to maneuver out of the pocket and make passes quickly. The Panther’s offensive line ranks 24th out of 32 in the NFL. Despite the acquisition of North Carolina’s Ikem Ekwonu with the sixth pick in this year’s draft, Carolina still has lots of work ahead of them to keep their quarterbacks safe.
No matter which quarterback dawns the black and blue in Week 1, Panthers fans should be excited to see how each of them can bounce back after ending 2021 with burdensome injuries.
Week 1—here they come!
The Cleveland Browns will be in the Queen City on Sept. 11 to take on the Panthers for both teams’ opening game of the season. Although the starting quarterback for each squad remains uncertain, this is a matchup that will have fans glued to their TV sets.
Can the Browns compete if Deshaun Watson is unavailable? Have the Panthers improved if Mayfield is at the helm? Those are questions that may very well be answered on the evening of Sept. 11.
Buckle up—because it is going to be a Week 1 like no other.
