Even though Baker Mayfield seemed like he was under constant duress from the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, the Browns still scored one of the most successful pass protection ratings from a new ESPN formula tracking pass rush and pass blocking “wins”.
The new metric tracks wins and losses on each snap by the pass rushers and those trying to block them. And it’s surprising to see some Browns blockers listed as among the best at their positions.
Take Greg Robinson at tackle. Per the ESPN measuring, Greg Robinson pitched a perfect game in pass protection before his ejection. He was one of six OTs to score a perfect 100% win rate.
Left guard Joel Bitonio and center JC Tretter also notched perfect slates (meaning they held their block successfully for at least 2.5 seconds) in pass protection. The Browns finished third overall in pass protection success at 71%.
It’s interesting to note this because Tennessee pass rusher Cameron Wake had the second-best win rate for pass rushers at 40%. He abused the heck out of Chris Hubbard and the Robinson replacements, apparently; there is no breakdown of the players not in the top 10 in each category. Per the NFL official statistics, the Titans recorded five sacks and seven QB hits among Baker Mayfield’s 43 dropbacks (38 attempts plus the five sacks).
What does that indicate? The complaints about Baker Mayfield holding the ball too long get some validation, and Hubbard and backup tackle Justin McCray were really, really bad.
