Baker Mayfield’s bum shoulder has been repaired.
Time will tell if the same can be said for the Browns’ ailing pass offense.
“Browns QB Baker Mayfield underwent successful surgery today to repair a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder,” a Browns spokesman announced in a statement on the afternoon of Jan. 19. “The surgery was performed by Dr. Orr Limpisvasti in Los Angeles and the likely time period for a full recovery is 4-6 months.
“We anticipate Baker beginning light throwing in April. He should be able to participate in the off-season program on a limited basis while a full recovery is expected by the start of training camp.”
Mayfield completed 21 of 28 passes for 321 yards in the season-opening 33-29 loss to the Chiefs in Kansas City. He completed his first nine passes against the Houston Texans in the second game of the season. Then, after a pass intended for Donovan Peoples-Jones was incomplete, Mayfield threw a pass down the middle intended for speedy rookie Anthony Schwartz.
Schwartz made a rookie mistake. He stopped running when the ball was in the air. Because he stopped, the pass was overthrown and intercepted by Texans safety Justin Reid. Reid returned the pick 24 yards to the Browns 47. Right tackle Jack Conklin tackled Reid, but Mayfield tried to get in on the stop, too. He suffered a torn left labrum in the process.
Mayfield and the Browns offense sputtered for most of the remainder of the season. Mayfield was 5-7 as a starter after the injury. He threw 18 touchdown passes in 2021 after throwing 26 the year before. His interceptions thrown increased from eight in 2020 to 13 in 2021. His completion percentage dropped from 62.8 to 60.5. He was sacked a career-high 43 times.
In addition to playing with the torn labrum, Mayfield played with a fractured left humerus, a bruised left heel and a sore right knee. He sat out the game against Denver because of his shoulder injury and then was placed on injured reserve with one game to play after being sacked nine times by the Steelers on Jan. 3.
Debate raged all season — should Mayfield have been shut down in September to have the torn labrum repaired? Each week, team doctors and trainers cleared Mayfield to play.
“Any time you fall short, you second-guess everything. You really do,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said in a Zoom conference the Monday after the season ended when asked if Mayfield’s injury should have been handled differently. “Having said that, I just felt every single week I tried to make the best decision for the team with the information available. That’s really all I can do week in and week out. In general, obviously, there are a ton of things we have to look at and learn from.”
Near the end of the season, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt admitted what media and fans suspected; the harness Mayfield wore affected the way he threw the ball, even though it was worn on his non-throwing shoulder.
“It has definitely handcuffed him a little bit with his ability to get that left side out of the way,” Van Pelt said on Dec. 31.
Mayfield is entering the fifth year of his rookie contract. Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry insist Mayfield will be the Browns starting quarterback in 2022.
Having Mayfield healthy is a start to improving the pass offense, but only a start. Stefanski isn’t deluding himself into thinking Mayfield’s injury is the only thing that took down the offense that was so prolific a year ago.
“Spending a lot of time in that area and trying to find ways to improve is going to be a huge part of our offseason,” Stefanski said. “With anything, it’s multifaceted. We have to dig around and find those areas where we can improve and what we do well because there are elements of the pass game and elements of the run game that we do well, and then there are some that we just weren’t good enough.
“Now the question becomes, how do we improve them? I think that’s what this offseason and scheme evaluation, and studying some other teams. You watch college tape. You try to find some additional schemes to add to the nuance of what you’re doing.”
The Browns scored 41 offensive touchdowns in 17 games in 2021 — 20 rushing and 21 passing. They scored 48 offensive touchdowns in 16 games in 2020 — 21 rushing and 27 passing.
The Browns lost eight fumbles to go with the eight picks Mayfield threw in 2020. They lost eight fumbles and threw 14 interceptions in 2021.
