Cleveland Browns: 5 offseason needs in 2020

1. Someone to protect Baker’s blindside — and every other side

Before being drafted first overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2018, Baker Mayfield proclaimed he was the guy that could turn this franchise around. Fans fell in love with his swagger and his confidence was infectious. The hype only grew as he went 5-3 down the stretch and set the record for the most touchdown passes by a rookie quarterback.

He had the most success during those eight games, which came with Freddie Kitchens calling plays. And with Kitchens taking over as head coach, it seemed safe to assume the team would continue to perform well. That wasn’t how things ended up playing out though.

With Kitchens serving as coach, the Browns were a mess. Everyone seemed to take a step in the wrong direction but the two biggest drops came at quarterback and offensive line — and the two went hand-in-hand.

Mayfield never looked comfortable in the pocket and that made sense as his sack total went from 25 during his rookie campaign to 40 in year two. He also saw his completion percentage drop more than four percent and his interceptions became a major concern with him finishing with 21 on the year.

Kevin Stefanski will be tasked with turning Mayfield around but the first thing they need to do for that to happen is to fix their offensive line. Chris Hubbard, who was given a bug contract in 2018, hasn’t been the player they hoped he could be. As for Greg Robinson, their left tackle, he was benched at one point for a guard.

This is without even mentioning the issues they had trying to find an actual guard as Kyle Kalis, Eric Kush, Austin Corbett, Wyatt Teller, and Justin McCray all failed to lock down the job.

Cleveland has to address this and could end up making two or more picks on the offensive line. It’s their biggest need and if they don’t go for someone on the line early in the upcoming draft, this season could once again be a struggle for Mayfield and his teammates.