Monday leftovers

Is there any question that where Baker Mayfield plays football next season will be the biggest and longest-running topic of the offseason? Two sides of that coin.

If the Browns want to -- and right now there is no indication they don't -- bring him back to play out the final year of his five-year contract for around $19 million, does he want to return after a season that can be best described as extremely eventful for the wrong reasons?

It is entirely possible the mercurial and brash Texan has seen enough of Cleveland and has quietly suggested it might be better if he wears a different uniform next season. Not saying that's the case because both sides are being tight-lipped.

They are saying all the right things now to stem the flow of speculation that is certain to linger until a positive resolution is achieved. And nobody, not even the so-called insiders, have any idea how long this will last.

Everything will depend on the front office's evaluation of Mayfield's highly disappointing performance this season from a number of viewpoints and whether it was an aberration or a sign of decline and it's time to move on.

There is no question he was not the same quarterback who took the Browns to the playoffs last season for the first time in two decades with a great offense. He justified being the face of the franchise with a performance in the second half of the season that surprised many of his critics.

He was the toast of Cleveland with a playoff victory in Pittsburgh and gave the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs all they could handle in a five-point loss in the division playoff. Everything pointed to a banner 2021.

And when the Browns went into Kansas City in the season opener and scared the Chiefs again before losing by four points this time after the brand-new struggling defense blew a 12-point lead, no one seemed too concerned. That loss was blamed on a dropped snap by punter Jamie Gillan that gave the Chiefs an easy touchdown, not Mayfield.

Game two in the home-opener victory over the Houston Texans was the turning point for Mayfield, only no one knew it at the time. Early in the second quarter, he threw an interception when rookie wide receiver Anthony Schwartz stopped his route and Houston safety Justin Reid had an easy pick. 

Mayfield attempted to stop Reid on his return and dislocated his non-throwing shoulder in the process. It popped out, but was popped back in and the quarterback, after a brief trip to the dressing room, returned and finished the game.

That injury, initially diagnosed as a partially torn labrum that subsequently became fully torn, led to a series of more serious ailments all over his body, including a non-displaced broken bone in the same shoulder that made it difficult for him to throw after wearing a harness to protect the area.

Playing behind an offensive line that rarely gave him a clean pocket and occasionally landing on that shoulder after being sacked exacerbated the problem. And yet, Kevin Stefanski trotted him back out there because the Browns medical staff foolishly gave him the green light. (Guilty of practicing medicine without a license.)

Mayfield played the good soldier despite ailments to his knees, foot, groin and who knows what else. By the time the defense had settled down and played well enough to win at least two or three games they eventually lost because of a sagging offense, Mayfield was not the better quarterback on the roster.

It was as though he was playing with no bullets in his gun belt. Stefanski mishandled the situation by putting a badly battered football player out there on a weekly basis when his healthy backup would have been a smarter choice, especially with a vastly improved defense.

I want to see a close-to-100% healthy Baker Mayfield at camp next summer with an Andrew Berry redo of the wide receivers room through free agency, a trade or the college draft. Bring in a young veteran quarterback if need be to give him some competition and see how he responds. That would be a fairer test to determine whether this past season was, indeed, an aberration.

Trade him? Who would trade for damaged goods? 

In the meantime, let the rumors flow, but pay little attention to them.

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All season long, Stefanski has given me reason to rail every time fourth down comes into view and the football is on the plus side of the field. I'm a charter member of the "Don't Leave Points on the Field" club. The Browns have lost enough close games where kicking instead of gambling could have meant the difference between heading home with an 8-9 record and the playoffs.

Stefanski this season gambled 29 times (sure seems like a lot more) and was successful a meager 12 times, or 41.4%, which ranks 30th in the National Football League. The 29 opportunities was the eighth most around the league. Last season, they checked in at 40.7%, good enough for 27th place.

One can look at that as fractional improvement, which means he'll get better exponentially by no earlier than 2031 if he is still around and remains faithful to the analytical side of the sport. I've seen coaches become more successful relying more on gut instinct than a bunch of numbers spitting out of a computer.

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I was among those not exactly fond of the free-agent signing of defensive end Jadeveon Clowney to what amounted to a one-year prove-it contract. Can't stay healthy. He's a better run defender than quarterback harasser. Waste of time. Clearly on his way down. Smacks of desperation. Why waste $8 million?

He made a liar out of me. He started 14 of the club's 17 games and recorded nine sacks, five and a half in his last three starts.  He still is solid against the run, taking great advantage of his quickness. And he definitely improved his pass rush as the season wore down, 

According to reports, Clowney loves playing for the Browns and wouldn't mind signing a longer contract to continue his career in Cleveland after becoming somewhat of a vagabond after leaving Houston, which made him the overall No. 1 pick in the 2014 college draft. He had quick stops in Seattle and Tennessee before the Browns expressed interest. 

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Expect the Browns' defense to be even better next season. With the likes of Greg Newsome II, Grant Delpit and A. J. Green operating full-time in the secondary for the first time and playing well, the future looks bright. Same with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Jacob Phillips at linebacker and Malik McDowell at defensive tackle.

Each made major contributions this season, JOK in particular. He is a superstar in the making. And Phillips' late surge after spending most of the season on injured reserve with a torn biceps saw him lead the club in tackles in the season finale against Cincinnati.  

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Finally . . .  Remember how many fans complained about the number of penalties the Browns accrued this season? They were right. Cleveland was the seventh-most penalized team in the league with 112 (not including those that were declined) and their 1,035 yards (61 a game) were fifth-highest. That falls on Stefanski. . . . It will be a little shocking if Jarvis Landry returns for a fifth season. The wide receiver experienced his worst season by far as a pro with 52 catches and only two touchdowns. After cutting his cut his buddy Odell Beckham Jr. loose and an injury-plagued campaign, a change of scenery might be in order. . . . The only survivor of the special teams trio will be snapper Charley Hughlett, who will snap for a new punter and placekicker.