Baker Mayfield Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Did Browns give up on QB Baker Mayfield too fast?

By Aaron Becker | Last updated 12/27/22

The Browns are officially eliminated from the playoffs, and it has Cleveland fans asking if the team made the right offseason decisions.

QB Baker Mayfield reintroduced winning to the Browns, but after a rocky 2021 season, the organization decided it was best to move on from him for QB Deshaun Watson.

It's a small sample size, but Mayfield has been playing better than Watson on a less talented team as of late.

Deshaun Watson has led 43 drives as the Cleveland Browns QB. On those 43 drives, the Browns have scored a grand total of THREE touchdowns.
— Sam Block (@theblockspot) December 24, 2022

The Cleveland Browns would be so much better with Baker Mayfield at QB. Like maybe a playoff team who could hammer Pittsburgh. Almost like you all saw that happen and then just forgot about it.
— Sam Block (@theblockspot) December 25, 2022

Watson has thrown two touchdowns and three interceptions with a 57.7% completion percentage in his first four games with Cleveland, per ESPN.com. Mayfield is better in every category in one less game since joining the Rams, posting four touchdowns, one interception, and a 69% completion percentage, per ESPN.com.

It could be that Watson is still kicking off the rust after not playing at all in 2021. However, Browns fans had hope they would've seen more than what they have one month into Watson's return.

Watson was a three-time Pro Bowler (2018-20) and led the NFL in passing yards in 2020. If he can return to his old self, it would bring all of these questions to a halt.

We may not get our answer until 2023, when Watson gets a full offseason under his belt, but Cleveland fans will continue watching the two quarterbacks closely with nothing left to play for in 2022.

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