After much speculation, the ClevelandBrowns have officially shipped former No. 1overall pick, Baker Mayfield, to the CarolinaPanthers in exchange for a fifth-round pick. In less than five years, Baker Mayfield has gone from being the first overall pick to Cleveland's savior to feuding with his top wideout to fighting for a starting spot. It has been a roller coaster. They were the first two quarterbacks selected in the draft. The first and third picks were obviously the first and second choice, respectively. SaquonBarkley separated the two. In the past, the first two quarterbacks taken in the same draft went on to play for the same team. The last time it happened was in 1991, when Chris and Tom were both drafted by the Phoenix Cards. The final game of Tupa's career was the one in which he started for the Cards. The final two games of the season were for Phoenix. It is not important.
The important thing is how this will affect the two teams. The Browns have a lot of balls. The fact that the Browns were willing to give up their first-round pick for a quarterback who knows their system and has led the team to a playoff victory before, is probably a bad move given that the next guy. Even if the league suspends him for six games, he would not be allowed to play against the San Diego, Pittsburgh, and New England teams, as well as the Carolinas. The toughest part of the schedule is at Baltimore, Cincinnati, at Miami, at Buffalo, and at his old team Houston. In their first six games, a 4-2 record might not be enough. The presumption is that he is only suspended for six games, so this is not likely at this point. Any more and the playoff hopes of the fans are over.
It's a marginal upgrade for the panthers. Even though DJ Moore is a star receiver, there is always a chance that he could be replaced by someone else. Moore signed a massive contract extension prior to the season, so maybe he will give him more latitude than OBJ did. The two have a history with one another. In April of this year, when it was first reported that the most likely landing spot was Carolina, Anderson commented "Nooooo". That's five O's worth of "no" Anderson commented on the facts when asked about it.
The pocket presence behind the subpar offensive line is what I worry about the most. He has been able to play behind one of the best O-line in football for most of his career. Cleveland had the best run-blocking line in the league in 2021, but many of those figures can be blamed on the absence of both Jack Con and Jedrick Wills Jr. The O-line was ranked the eighth-best in the league by Pro Football Focus. The Browns have ranked in the top 20 in adjusted sack rate in every other year of their careers. The last time the panthers finished better than 20th was in 2019.
During the off-season, the Carolinas made an effort to improve their offensive line, but a rookies at left tackle isn't going to be enough to overcome all the deficiencies that the unit displayed last year. It will definitely help, but it probably won't cover all the other holes, especially in a division that features some of the best players in the league.
It is not likely that Christian McCaffrey will be healthy for the entire season. TheClevelandBrowns have one of the most formidable rushing attacks in the NFL the last few years, and yet they have continued to look like a wet noodle throwing duck after duck behind the line of scrimmage It's clear that a great running game isn't enough to make the playoffs
Matt Rhule was the biggest loser. I don't have to tell people how hot his seat is. Many people think he's going to be the first head coach to be fired this season. The addition of a new person will speed up his departure. Fans will clamor for Mayfield to take over the starting role if the team struggles with the young quarterback. It will be Rhule who will be blamed when the panthers inevitably continue to fall apart. I wouldn't bet on Matt Corral saving Rhule's job. He fell in the draft.
If he gets the starting job for the first week of the season, he will get a chance at revenge as the Carolinas will host the Cleveland. It is very likely that Carolina will walk away with the title if Jacoby Brissett starts for the Cleveland. Imagine if he won, he would throw a shade at the team. Even though Brissett is at quarterback, the Browns would still put up a fight. The lack of a defensive line that can compete with the talent on the offensive line is something the Carolinas don't have. I adore Brian Burns, but I also adore Wills, Conklin, Bitonio, and others. I hope the panthers pull it out.
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