After months of speculation, Deshaun Watsonhas beensuspended for the first six games of the 2022 NFL season. That means that Jacoby Brissett will probably be under center when the Browns take on the Panthers in Week 1.
Curiously, Cleveland could face a familar face that weekend if Baker Mayfield ends up winning the job in Carolina. They have a lot of history together, but it didnāt end well. Mayfieldās days with the Browns looked numbered for months, yet he wasnāt traded until July.
With Watson unavailable for the beginning of the season, itās fair to wonder whether the team didnāt make a mistake by burning all its bridges with Mayfield. Unsurprisingly, he was asked aboutthe Brownsā QBsituation shortly after the news broke outā but he preferred to stay away from it.
Baker Mayfieldnot paying attention to Brownsā QB situation
āHonestly, itās none of my business,ā Mayfield toldJosina Andersonof CBS Sports. āI donāt play against the other quarterback. I know thatās the most cliche thing to say, but thatās just the truth when it comes down to it. Iām game-planning against that defense. ā¦ So, Iāve got to keep getting better.
āIām not focused on Week 1 right now. ā¦ Weāll handle that when it comes, but for now, itās about getting the Panthers better and our offense continuing to get better as well.ā
Though it would be fair to think that the Panthers wouldnāt have traded for him if they didnāt want him as starter, it looks like Mayfield will have to win the job in the next few weeks. Sam Darnold failed to impress last year, butitseemsthat he still has a chance.
