5 reasons Baker Mayfield will turn it around in 2020
By John Buhler
2. Andrew Berry has no attachment to him
With the regime change in Cleveland, new Browns general manager Andrew Berry is nowhere near as invested in Mayfield has his predecessor John Dorsey was. Dorsey picked Mayfield No. 1 back in 2018. Two years later, he was out of a job. Berry comes over from one of the most well-run organizations in football in the Philadelphia Eagles, so things will be different in Cleveland.
Does Berry want Mayfield to fail? Of course not, but Mayfield doesn’t have to succeed for Berry to keep his job. Then again, Jimmy Haslam still owns the Browns and we know his track record as an owner for the last decade-plus. If Mayfield’s not the guy, Berry will look into the college ranks and see who the next heir apparent to Bernie Kosar will be in 2021, 2022, or even 2023.
Mayfield knows his guys (Dorsey, Freddie Kitchens, etc.) are no longer in the building with him. Frankly, he may feel partly responsible for why they’re no longer there. That’s a lot of pressure/blame to place on one person, but that’s the nature of the best when it comes to being an NFL franchise quarterback. He gets a lot of credit, but you also receive a ton of blame.
Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski know this Cleveland roster is dripping with talent. It’s all about putting it all together this fall. If it all hits, they can take the Browns to the Super Bowl. Okay, may not just yet, but Cleveland is certainly trending in the right direction. However, Mayfield has to know Berry does not have the sentimental attachment that Dorsey had for him previously.