CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns GM Andrew Berry has no regrets about not shutting down Baker Mayfield because of the torn labrum in his left shoulder and subsequent fractured shoulder bone.
“[He was] medically cleared, the player feels good and can perform everything that’s asked of him and required of him in practice,’’ Berry said during his season wrap-up Zoom conference. “Baker was our starting quarterback. He was going to play if he was ready to go. I don’t think it’s any more complicated than that.”
Mayfield, however, indicated that he was more beat up throughout the season than he was willing to admit, and ultimately pulled the plug after getting sacked nine times in the Week 17 26-14 loss to the Steelers. Case Keenum started Sunday’s 21-16 victory over the Bengals in the season finale and won his second game of the season — primarily against Cincy’s backups. The Browns finished 8-9, their 20th losing season of the 23 in the new era.
Mayfield, who tore the labrum in Week 2 and broke the bone in Week 6, will undergo surgery Jan. 19, and hopes to be throwing by late April. He only missed one game because of the injury, the 17-14 victory over the Broncos in which Keenum went 21-of-33 for 199 yards with one touchdown and a 90.3 rating. Overall, Keenum finished with three TDs, one INT, and a 91.3 rating. He completed 65.3% of his passes and was sacked five times.
“Probably any season where you do not reach your goals, you look back and examine everything,’’ Berry said. “We felt good about the information that we had throughout the year and on hand. The reality of it is we all wish that we and everybody across the team were able to perform better and allow us to reach the playoffs this year.”
Mayfield went 6-8 this season, finishing 27th in the NFL with an 83.1 rating, but Berry stated “we fully expect Baker to be our starter and bounce back.” He noted however, that he’ll always do everything possible to upgrade the roster.
“My job is to assemble the best team possible and make sure that we’re in the position to compete consistently for the division, to be in the playoffs and ultimately win a championship,’’ Berry said. “That’s something that we’ll strive to do every year.”
Berry wants Clowney back
Berry indicated he’ll try to re-sign Jadeveon Clowney, who finished with nine sacks, a half-sack shy of his career high in Houston. Clowney complemented Myles Garrett well, and Berry hopes to have the bookend No. 1 picks back on the edges next season.
The problem is, Clowney played so well that he’ll be in demand on the open market, and acknowledged after the Bengals game that he’s hoping to cash in. Pro Football Focus estimates his market value at one-year, $15 million.
“JD had a really good season for us, was very productive run and pass and a disruptive player,’’ Berry said. “He paired nicely with the other guys who we had up front, obviously with Myles being at the forefront. He had a good year. He did the things that we envisioned when we signed him. Good season. Fit in nicely for us. The next several weeks, we will see kind of what the future holds with all of our guys across the roster.”
Ward up for extension
While the Browns will let Mayfield head into 2022 on his guaranteed $18.858 million fifth-year option deal, they’ll likely talk long-term extension with 2018 No. 4 pick Denzel Ward, who had his second Pro Bowl campaign. Ward had his $13.294 million option picked up last spring.
“Denzel put together a fine year,’’ Berry said. “He made a number of really big plays for us at critical moments of the season. Obviously, we know that he is a local kid drafted and developed here. He put together a really strong season for us so we are pleased with that.”
Ward’s market value is about $18.7 million a year, which would make him one of the NFL’s top paid cornerbacks.
Berry praises Landry, but no word on next season
Berry didn’t specifically address if Jarvis Landry will be back for a fifth season at his cap hit of $16.55 million. But he praised him, just like everyone else has.
“Everybody on this call knows how much respect we have for Jarvis Landry and really what he has meant for our team and organization over the past several years,’’ Berry said. “He’s been a productive player for us really since the day that we traded for him, and he has been really a key piece in terms of how the team and organization has evolved over the last several years.”
Landry, 29, led the team with 52 catches for 570 yards, but caught only two TD passes in 12 games, including a 26-yarder from Keenum in the finale.
Teller invites Wills Jr. to work out in the offseason
Wyatt Teller is a big fan of second-year left tackle Jed Wills Jr., and has invited him to work out with him in the offseason. Wills, who suffered a lingering ankle injury in Week 1, finished as the league’s 56th-best tackle according to Pro Football Focus.
“Jed is a great player,’’ Teller said. “Jed just needs to work. He just needs to get after it. And I love Jed, and like I said, I talked to Jed on the sidelines. Jed’s my dog.’’
Teller explained that Wills, the No. 10 pick in 2020, had it tough early on in the season because he had to play injured.
“We lost our swing tackle (Chris Hubbard) Game 1,” Teller said. “So Jed didn’t really have an option but to play and that’s really what you have to do. So it sucks. But Jed is a great player. He’s got to do it. He’s got to go out there and play hard. That’s kind of where I was. I didn’t think that I played as well as I could have this year. I say, ‘Jed, don’t be afraid to call what the issues are. If something’s a problem, if you have a bad ankle, double-tape that thing and push it through, because at the end of the day, everybody has to deal with that.’”
Teller, who signed his extension this season, will do whatever he can to help Wills improve, and is urging him to come back to Cleveland in the offseason and ‘we’ll get going.’
He’s confident Wills will rebound in 2022.
“Jed’s gonna be all right,’’ he said. “He’s just gotta get to the work. Understand that work is a good thing, right? Everybody wants to say that ‘work is bad. I want to be on vacation.’ Well, right now, vacation would be kind of nice, but work is a good thing. So yeah, just kind of get that mindset into him would try to help them out a little bit.’’
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