When an NFL team loses faith in its starting quarterback, the media can smell blood in the water. So when the Browns gave up three first-round picks, a third, and two fourths to trade for Deshaun Watson, the NFL franchise handed reporters a feast. That move effectively slammed the door on Baker Mayfield, and the headlines wrote themselves.
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Now, sure, Baker could have taken some time off to properly heal from his shoulder injury in 2021. But he chose to play through the pain, which the team didn’t like … although plenty of QBs have done the same.
Another factor was Mayfield’s personality. He came into the league with a chip on his shoulder and a level of confidence that rubbed some people the wrong way, including the Browns. So, after the Watson trade, that combination made Mayfield an easy target for the media, and the storm never let up.
It didn’t matter that Mayfield led Cleveland to a playoff win in 2021, their first since 1994. The narrative had already turned against him. Suddenly, he was treated like he didn’t belong … and as if the Browns could easily do better.
Well, according to Emmanuel Acho, history is repeating itself. The same Baker treatment, he says, is now being handed to Shedeur Sanders, the fifth-round rookie QB of the team.
“I feel everybody was wrong about Baker. And I’m glad we’re talking about Baker off of Shedeur, because the same like the Browns told us about Baker, they’re trying to tell us about Shedeur. And I hope ya’ll catch it this time,” Acho said via SpeakEasy.
“The same lie that Baker Mayfield can’t play and we can find a better quarterback than Baker, is the same lie they’re telling us about Shedeur,” the analyst continued.
Acho and his panelists on the podcast were reacting to Baker Mayfield’s recent comments about how perceptions around him have shifted. The QB was once labeled cocky and immature, but after his blowouts in Tampa Bay and genuine success, no one seems to notice those old criticisms.
He’s now “The Dawg,” as Baker said, adding that he’s stayed true to himself. Acho really liked that remark, saying he’s admired Baker for a long time, even back in college. The analyst essentially blamed the Browns … and to some extent the media … for how they treated Baker a few years ago, and now how they’re handling Shedeur Sanders.
The Colorado product is patiently waiting for his chance to start, but so far, nothing has been reassuring. The team got off to a rocky start with poor play from Joe Flacco, then traded him, leaving Dillon Gabriel as the starter. Shedeur has now moved up to QB2, but the head coach has made it clear that nothing is fixed yet and that the team is still evaluating its options at the position.
That’s not exactly encouraging for Shedeur, who fell to the fifth round during this year’s draft despite widespread expectations he’d go in the first round. He still has huge potential, and like Acho, many feel it’s being wasted in Cleveland.
