Baker Mayfield should build upon his play-action success in Kevin Stefanski’s offense

Sometimes the fit almost seems too perfect…

Baker Mayfield has had his ups and downs in his two NFL seasons, but one of the strongest constants to Mayfield’s game is how well the young Browns QB executes the play-action passing game. Even in an otherwise unimpressive 2019 season, Mayfield still thrived while using play-action.

Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Mayfield threw nine TD passes against just three interceptions off play-action in 2019. Considering his overall ratio was 22/21, it’s a stark contrast.

Now factor in new Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and his heavy usage of play-action passing while running the offense in Minnesota. Under Stefanski in 2019, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins led the entire NFL in TD passes with 14. Mayfield tied for third.

Playing to Mayfield’s strengths is exactly what Stefanski’s offense does even without adjusting to No. 6’s style. That is one of the reasons why it’s perfectly reasonable to expect Mayfield to look a lot more like the record-setting rookie of 2018 than the sophomore slump season of 2019.

Baker Mayfield's passer rating was 36.8 points higher on pass attempts involving play action than without play action in 2019.

Play Action
➤ 64.7% comp pct, 8.9 YPA, 9 TD, 3 INT, 106.2 passer rating

No Play Action
➤ 57.5% comp pct, 6.6 YPA, 13 TD, 18 INT, 69.4 passer rating

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) May 28, 2020