Lincoln Riley 'Totally' Expects Browns' Baker Mayfield to Bounce Back in 2020

Baker Mayfield's former coach at Oklahoma, Lincoln Riley, told the First Take crew on Monday morning that he believes the Cleveland Browns quarterback will have a bounceback season after a disappointing 2019.  

Mayfield, 24, finished his sophomore campaign with 3,827 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions, completing just 59.4 percent of his passes. The Browns went 6-10 despite coming into the year with high expectations. 

Expectations are high for the Browns again this offseason, in many ways mirroring the perception of the team from a year ago. Last year, the Browns entered the year with a new hire at head coach (Freddie Kitchens) and a number of high-profile offseason additions (Odell Beckham Jr., Olivier Vernon, Sheldon Richardson, Kareem Hunt). 

This year, the Browns enter the year with a new hire at head coach (Kevin Stefanski) and a number of high-profile offseason additions (Austin Hooper, Jack Conklin and Case Keenum). The team will also have the opportunity to draft a difference-maker with the No. 10 overall pick. 

But none of the team's additions will matter much if Mayfield doesn't take a major step forward. There's no shortage of talent for him to work with, from Beckham, Hooper and Jarvis Landry in the passing game to Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the backfield. 

But Mayfield needs to improve his accuracy and cut down on his turnovers. Only Jameis Winston (30) threw more interceptions last year. And Mayfield's QBR (52.4) ranked 19th in the NFL, his passer rating (78.8) ranked 29th and his competition percentage was also 29th. 

Mediocre quarterback play in the NFL is tough to overcome. That makes 2020 a key season for Mayfield's development. Struggle again, and the Browns may be forced to question whether the former No. 1 overall pick is the long-term answer at quarterback.

If he does take the next step, however, the Browns have the talent in place to be a playoff team. So a lot is on the line in 2020.