Undeniably, no athlete has been written more about by me on these very pages since I took over the reigns as staff writer. Now, there’s another chapter in the 2019 Mayfield saga. However, this one is rather minor; or at least it appears as such on the surface.
Per multiple sources that cover the team, Mayfield won’t participate in practice this week. Moreover, he is dealing with a hip injury but will be ready to face the New England Patriots after the Cleveland Browns’ bye week. Given the state of things with the Browns, that doesn’t sound like a good time.
Baker Mayfield not participating in bye week practice https://t.co/gTLkfc1rvE
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 15, 2019
Here’s what Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports on the Mayfield ‘injury’.
Mayfield injured his left hip in the third quarter and said afterward it was sore. On Monday, Kitchens said Mayfield is “fine.”
Mayfield did participate in stretching at the beginning of Tuesday’s work but moved to sideline with Kitchens during individual drills, per Cabot.
Still, the fact that Mayfield will continue playing doesn’t alleviate concerns about his actual play. Thus far, he’s been one of the league’s worst quarterbacks. For instance, take a look at the tweet below from ESPN Stats & Info:
Baker Mayfield's 11 interceptions through 6 games are the most by a Browns QB through 6 games since Paul McDonald had 12 back in 1984. pic.twitter.com/z8vzWY0tGK
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) October 13, 2019
Couple the record-setting interception pace Mayfield is on along with the last time we saw him on the field. Indeed, he was getting trolled by Nick Bosa of the 49ers with the flag plant heard around the world on Monday Night Football. That game ended in a crushing defeat, where Mayfield almost finished with a QB rating in the single-digits.
Altogether, it’s been a nightmare season for Mayfield and the Browns and there’s seemingly no end in sight. Well, there is the holidays; but by then people will probably be interested in the Indians offseason moves or Cleveland Cavaliers basketball.
Mayfield was a ray of hope after a good rookie season. Now, he’s become the latest chapter in Cleveland’s national nightmare saga.
