As the Cleveland Browns prepare for the upcoming NFL offseason, the future of Baker Mayfield will be at the center of rumors for weeks to come. Mayfield had a rough 2021 season and many believe that the franchise could look to bring in competition for him or trade him. Either way, it’s going to be a critical offseason for Cleveland.
Mayfield ended up having to deal with a plethora of injury issues throughout this season. He ended the year with 3,010 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. In addition to those numbers, he completed 60.5 percent of his passes and picked up 134 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
While those numbers aren’t horrible, mock drafts are already looking ahead for the Browns. One recent mock draft has the Browns selecting a new quarterback to replace Mayfield. That quarterback is Liberty standout Malik Willis.
His addition gives them someone who might not be as pure of a pocket passer as Mayfield but his ability to win with his legs adds a whole new element to the offense, and makes up for their lack of speed at receiver.
Willis would certainly be an intriguing addition for the Browns. He has all of the physical tools to be something special, but there are question marks about him due to the weak competition he played against. Despite those doubts, the Browns would be smart for taking a gamble on him if they are truly looking to move on from Mayfield.
During the 2021 college football season at Liberty, Willis ended up completing 61.1 percent of his pass attempts for 2,857 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Willis also tore up defenses on the ground with 878 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Being able to start a quarterback who can burn a defense with his arm and legs would be ideal for the Browns. But, there is also a chance that he might not be NFL ready. Perhaps they draft him to put pressure on Mayfield and then if the 2022 season doesn’t pan out well for the veteran they could then turn to the young quarterback.
Expect to hear plenty of rumors all offseason long about the future of Baker Mayfield. Malik Willis would be a very interesting pickup and that idea is starting to gain some traction in the media.
