The Cleveland Browns cleared all the doubts around the team's quarterback situation by going all in for Deshaun Watson, who only left the Houston Texans when his criminal matters were over.
That left Baker Mayfield in limbo, as he would no longer be under center. Not only he's in a stage of his career in which being a backup is not an option, but his salary is also too expensive to have him warming the bench.
Mayfield once led Cleveland to the playoffs, but his disappointing 2021 season may have proven costly, as the Browns are keen on finding a trade partner. The situation is not nice, but Joe Burrow believes the team can't be blamed for going after Watson.
Joe Burrow says Browns couldn't pass on Deshaun Watson, despite Mayfield is a 'really good' QB
The Browns left a lot to be desired last year, and many felt Mayfield was responsible for it. In an interview on the Full Send Podcast, Burrow disagreed with those claims, showing a lot of praise for him.
"He [Mayfield] was hurt all last year and every time we play him, he balls," Burrow said. "The first time we play him, week two of my rookie year, we lost like [35–30] or something, and the next time we play him, I throw 400 yards, he goes like [22-28] with five touchdowns. Goes on a two-minute drive, touchdown, won the game. I haven’t beat the Browns yet.”
However, Burrow made clear what he thinks about the Browns signing Watson this year. While he sees Mayfield as a very good quarterback, the Bengals star also believes that Cleveland was right in chasing the former Texans QB.
“When you have a guy like Deshaun, you have to take a chance at that because he’s such a great player,” Burrow added, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “But Baker is a really good player, he’ll land on his feet.”
Most people would agree that Watson has more to offer on the field than Mayfield. The problem is the way the team handled the situation, as the Browns didn't seem to be clear with Mayfield about their plans until they suddenly landed Watson.
