"Did Baker Mayfield make those guys worse?" - NFL analyst discusses impact of Browns QB on Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr.
Baker Mayfield had an exciting time with the Cleveland Browns. He shone as a rookie, going 6-7 and throwing for 3,725 yards and 27 touchdowns. Two years later, he led the Browns to their first Super Bowl victory in 20 years, and a season later, he went 6-8 as an underperformer.
The Browns surrounded Mayfield with many talents — trading for receivers like Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry.
BREAKING: The #Browns have traded for #Giants WR Odell Beckham, sources say. The deal is done. I am not joking.
NFL analyst Marcus Spears spoke about Mayfield on Get Up! and blamed the quarterback for making OBJ and Jarvis Landry less productive in Cleveland.
Spears said:
"I think another indictment of Baker Mayfield, and a lot of people across this league look at [it], Jarvis Landry was known as one of the premier wide receivers before he went to Cleveland. They told us OBJ couldn't play anymore when he was in Cleveland. This man was damn near about to be MVP of the Super Bowl, so you look at that from a football perspective. You have got to ask yourself, 'Did Baker Mayfield make those guys worse?'"
Spears added that once Landry and OBJ went to Cleveland, they faded away:
"Was [Mayfield] able to build a rapport with two guys that were highly thought of talents in the NFL? They went to Cleveland and they kind of faded out and faded away. So there's a lot of things working against Baker. I think the one thing that worked with him is he's had some success in this league and been to the playoffs. So, I think the team will pick them up, but there's a lot of stuff you've got to sift through before you decide to bring in Baker Mayfield."
Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry had career numbers away from Cleveland
Both Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry had career years in places other than Cleveland.
New @Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. is among the best in the league against press coverage.
@obj has averaged the MOST separation against press since 2016 (2.6 yards) by any receiver with 50+ press targets. His new [& former LSU] teammate, Jarvis Landry, ranks 3rd since 2016. https://t.co/tpZXqByVsG
OBJ played two and a half seasons with Cleveland and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark receiving in 2019 with 1,035 yards. He set a career-high in receiving yards with the Giants in 2015 for 1,450 yards. The same year, he set a career-high in receiving touchdowns with 13. The very next season, he set a career-high in receptions with 101.
Landry had two back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in his second and third seasons with Miami. In his fourth season there, Landry set career-highs in receptions with 112 and receiving touchdowns with 9.
One can quickly point to Baker Mayfield for the lack of the receivers' success as the quarterback has been inconsistent in his career and has played through shoulder injuries.