The Cleveland Browns were very successful on offense in 2020. The team had to be to overcome a weak defense that struggled to get stops. Under head coach, and play-caller, Kevin Stefanski the Browns have stated their goal is to be a run-heavy offense.
With Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and the Cleveland offensive line, a successful run game became the backbone of the offense. That didn’t stop quarterback Baker Mayfield from throwing for over 3,500 yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Mayfield’s second half of the season was even more dynamic as he got more comfortable in Stefanski’s system. Despite the loss of Odell Beckham Jr. and very limited deep threat potential, Mayfield had the best completion percentage on deep passes last year:
Highest Completion Percentage on Deep Passes — (Powered by @FTNData)
◾️Baker Mayfield (51.9%)
◾️Deshaun Watson (50.0%)
◾️Derek Carr (47.3%)
◾️Josh Allen (44.8%)
◾️Teddy Bridgewater (44.4%)*Min 50 deep attempts
⚙️: https://t.co/KN60Kmnzra pic.twitter.com/awQZgssTus
— FTNNetwork (@FTNNetwork) August 20, 2021
With the return of Beckham, the development from second-year receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones and the addition of speedster Anthony Schwartz, the Cleveland offense should become even more explosive. With the threat of the great rushing attack, the Browns should see a lot of single-high safety looks that open up more deep shots with all that speed on the field.
In 2020, in his first year with Stefanski and first year under center instead of in shotgun primarily, Mayfield proved his ability to complete deep passes. In 2021, with more talent and more experience in the system, the sky is the limit for the former Heisman Trophy winner.
