5 players who Cleveland Browns need to be great in 2020

1. QB Baker Mayfield

Mayfield regressed substantially across the board last year. Conflict within the offensive coaching staff for a second time in as many seasons, with Freddie Kitchens and offensive coordinator Todd Monken taking the Hue Jackson and Todd Haley roles from 2018, was surely not helpful.

Also not particularly helpful was any inherent pressure Mayfield felt to force-feed Odell Beckham. Jarvis Landry actually led the Browns in targets last year with 138, but after Beckham’s second-leading 133 targets running back Nick Chubb came in third on the team with just 49 targets. No one besides Landry and Beckham even had 300 receiving yards.

A full season with running back Kareem Hunt in the fold (44 targets in eight games last year) will surely help balance the Browns’ passing game. The addition of tight end Austin Hooper in free agency will also be good for a better dispersion of targets, and a more functional offense overall.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski was hired with fixing the quarterback in mind, and he automatically comes in with more credibility as a first-time head coach than Kitchens did. But it’s ultimately on Mayfield to get himself back on track, which he appears to be doing with some intent this offseason, with an emergence as a credible and assertive leader in his third season.