Still a solid QB.
As Joe pointed out yesterday, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield is a third-down baller.
Now Joe would like to see more of that third-down baller magic transfer from Mayfield’s legs to Mayfield’s right arm.
When the season began, Mayfield played better than any Bucs quarterback not named “Tom Brady.” By the end of the season, Mayfield was giving off Josh McCown vibes.
It was a stunning collapse. Still, Jeff Howe of The Athletic thinks Mayfield is a top-15 quarterback despite the drop off a cliff after the Bucs’ bye.
Biggest midseason faller
Baker Mayfield emerged as the first trendy MVP candidate of the season, and he remained in the mix until injuries took their toll, and the Buccaneers collapsed down the stretch.
Mayfield debuted at No. 8 and got to as high as No. 3 from Weeks 6-10 before a gradual regression and steep decline by the end. Mayfield was a top-nine QB through Week 16, but a lethargic finish doomed his final ranking.
Since the dropoff happened, the Bucs have been extremely tight-lipped about what happened. So what are/were the Bucs hiding?
Are they freaked out Mayfield has reverted to Cleveland Mayfield? Are they trying to hide injuries? Were they trying to protect Josh Grizzard? Why the Manhattan Project-like secrecy?
As the creator, curator and overall guru of Pro Football Talk, the great Mike Florio likes to say, “Silence invites speculation.”
Joe asked Bucs coach Todd Bowles in his season wrapup if the offense changed due to Mayfield’s injuries, meaning did Grizzard suddenly go full-blown turtle/screen-pass-heavy because Mayfield couldn’t throw downfield?
Bowles said no, but Joe doesn’t fully buy that.
Are the Bucs scared to admit they let Mayfield take the field when he shouldn’t have, being otherwise too beat-up to play, because they didn’t trust Teddy Bridgewater?
If that’s the case, it’s understandable how an organization would embarrassed.
