Baker Mayfield

Coming off an outstanding rookie year, Mayfield looked poised to break out last season. Not only did that not happen, but Mayfield sunk to the bottom of the NFL quarterback pool. He ranked 31st in completion percentage (59.4), 31st in interception percentage (3.8), 31st in passer rating (78.8), 30th in bad-pass percentage (23.6) ... and the list goes on. While he certainly played poorly at times, it wasn't all his fault, as a bad offensive line, injuries to key players and questionable game plans dragged him down. It was enough to get coach Freddie Kitchens fired at season's end. New coach Kevin Stefanski, Mayfield's fourth head coach in three seasons, was the offensive coordinator last year for a Vikings team that ranked third in rushing percentage (49.1) and whose quarterback, Kirk Cousins, attempted only 444 passes. But Stefanski was operating under head coach Mike Zimmer's run-first mandate, and while he plans to bring at least the principles of that offense with him, it's unclear if that means Mayfield is destined to lose 100 or so attempts. In any event, Stefanski's zone blocking/play-action scheme should open throwing lanes for Mayfield and widen the pocket. And new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said he plans to alter Mayfield's footwork to be more fluid and less robotic. The team also moved to shore up the offensive line by signing RT Jack Conklin and drafting LT Jedrick Wills 10th overall. And Mayfield again has plenty of weapons. Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry had offseason surgeries, but are expected to be healthy for Week 1. Free-agent addition Austin Hooper joins David Njoku at TE, and the backfield might be the league's best with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Maybe Year 3 will be Mayfield's breakout season.

The No. 1 pick in last year's draft, Mayfield debuted Week 3 and took over the starting job the following week. His big break came when the Browns fired offensive coordinator Todd Haley entering Week 9, replacing him with running backs coach Freddie Kitchens. In six games under Haley, Mayfield completed 58.3 percent of his passes with 6.6 YPA and eight touchdowns. In eight games under Kitchens, those numbers jumped to 68.4 percent, 8.6 YPA and 19 TDs, sparked by success throwing the deep ball. In Weeks 9-17, on attempts longer than 20 yards, Mayfield posted a 14.7 TD percentage (2nd), 17.8 YPA (3rd) and 108.5 passer rating (6th). For the season, his 9.4-yard average depth of target ranked fifth in the league. The offseason addition of Odell Beckham Jr. could take Mayfield and the Cleveland offense to the next level this year under Kitchens, now the head coach but still the playcaller, with former Buccaneers assistant Todd Monken the new offensive coordinator. Jarvis Landry returns to man the slot, with young wideouts Rashard Higgins and Antonio Callaway showing promise and tight end David Njoku perhaps on the verge of a breakout. Meanwhile, Kareem Hunt will join Nick Chubb in the backfield at midseason after serving an eight-game suspension. In short, Mayfield is set up for big success.

The first overall pick in the draft, Mayfield enters training camp as the backup to Tyrod Taylor. How long that remains the hierarchy is uncertain, despite coach Hue Jackson's proclaimed belief in Taylor. Perhaps Jackson is timid about another rookie starter after last year's debacle with DeShone Kizer, but Jackson has won a single game in two years, so if there's a coach in America who's apt to play the QB who gives him the best shot at winning, it's Jackson. Mayfield was highly accurate in college, has a strong arm and throws an excellent deep ball. At 6-1, 215, he doesn't have ideal height, but his batted-pass stats were excellent in college and, according to scouts, he processes information quickly and has the mobility to escape pressure. The Browns retooled their skill positions this offseason, adding Jarvis Landry and Antonio Callaway to a wideout group that hopes to finally have Josh Gordon for a full season. They also signed Carlos Hyde and drafted Nick Chubb to join Duke Johnson in the backfield. Better still, the offense now belongs to coordinator Todd Haley, who occupied the same role in Pittsburgh the last six years. Jackson will no longer call plays, and that will benefit whoever is under center.