When the Cleveland Browns meet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Week 2, the quarterback comparison will be impossible to miss.
Tampa Bay just locked in its starter with the largest extension in franchise history. Cleveland, meanwhile, is still tied to a $230 million quarterback who has not managed to win 10 games over more than four seasons. The irony hangs over this matchup: the Browns once sent six draft picks, including three first-rounders, plus the league’s then-record fully guaranteed deal in 2022 to replace Baker Mayfield with Deshaun Watson.
Mayfield was the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by Cleveland, only to be moved on from for a conditional fifth-rounder. After stops with a couple of teams, he landed in Tampa Bay in 2023 and has already earned two Pro Bowl nods, along with the new deal that makes the Buccaneers’ commitment to him clear.
Watson’s Browns run has gone the other way. He has spent much of it injured or suspended, and when he has been on the field, his starter’s record sits at 9-11. Since 2022, he has thrown for 3,570 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Mayfield, by contrast, has been durable and productive since taking over in Tampa. Since becoming the Bucs’ starter in 2023, he has thrown for more than 4,000 yards twice and more than 25 touchdown passes three times, while starting every game available to him.
Still, the biggest difference between the two quarterbacks is not just what shows up on the stat sheet.
Mayfield was measured when talking recently about his time in Cleveland, steering clear of any kind of confrontation ahead of Sunday’s game.
“Yeah, I mean, with any experience, there’s ups and downs, good and bad. Ultimately, you remember the good more so than the bad.
Yeah, first time having a playoff win since ’94 there. And going on the road and doing it in Pittsburgh.
“So, a lot of good memories there. A lot of teammates that are friends for life. But like I said earlier, it’s a very different building now.”
That road win over the Steelers remains the Browns’ last playoff victory, and their only one in more than 30 years.
Even with that calm tone, Mayfield’s career has always carried a stubborn edge. A two-time walk-on at Texas Tech and Oklahoma, he climbed all the way to the Heisman Trophy and the No. 1 pick in the NFL. That kind of rise does not happen without a chip on the shoulder, and it figures to be there again when he sees Cleveland across the field.
Watson’s side of the story has been far less about performance and far more about excuses. In recent months, he has blamed fans for booing him for “personal” reasons rather than play, taken aim at the media for expecting him to “throw for 400 yards and five TDs every week”, despite never hitting 300 passing yards or four touchdowns in a game over the last four-plus years, and then followed up a rough Week 1 showing in Jacksonville by saying he was “operating well.”
That lack of accountability has followed him for years, dating back to his legal issues in Houston. And his latest comments, with Todd Monken and the rest of the front office standing behind him, only sharpen the contrast with Mayfield, who after Tampa Bay’s Week 1 loss to Cincy said, “This one falls on me,” after a three-fumble game.
Monken has also made it clear that any internal tension over Watson keeping the starting job over Shedeur Sanders is not his concern, saying, “They don't have a choice."
Watson does deserve credit for one line: “Everybody makes bad plays.”
The difference is that Mayfield owns his. Watson does not.
In Other News...
Todd Monken Sends Clear Message After Browns Silence Early Doubts
After the Browns steadied things with a Week 2 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Todd Monken had little interest in letting one rough opening act define the conversation around his team. The Cleveland coach went back to the criticism that followed the Week 1 loss, and he framed it around a remark from former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, using it as a springboard to address the early doubts head-on.
Monken did not dispute that the Browns were poor in the opener, but he pushed back on the idea that it should become the team's identity. His message was simple enough: the only real way to change the public view is to play better, and the Browns have already shown they are trying to do exactly that. Tomlin later answered with a little humor of his own, adding another layer to a storyline that has quickly moved beyond one bad Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Browns May Have Found Something Big In Their Rookie O-Line
The Browns left Tampa with a 23-19 win, and one of the most encouraging developments came up front, where rookie tackles Spencer Fano and Austin Barber helped steady an offensive line that was under pressure in a tight game. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, neither rookie allowed a pressure, a strong early sign for a unit that has leaned on youth and had to adjust quickly. Fano, the Browns 2026 first-round pick, has already flashed the kind of upside that made him a premium selection, while Barber has stepped into a starting role because of an injury and handled the assignment well.
Todd Monken has been quick to praise both players for the way they have contributed through the first two games, and it is easy to see why the Browns are paying attention. For a team trying to build stability at the line of scrimmage, getting reliable play from two rookies this early matters, especially when one arrived with first-round expectations and the other had to seize an opportunity the hard way. If this level of play holds, Cleveland may have uncovered a lot more than just a promising spot start. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Rookie Is Forcing A Bigger Question About Clevelands Passing Game
Denzel Boston has quickly given the Browns something they have been searching for at receiver: a young target who can win with size, strength and a steady physical edge. In his first two games, he has already topped 50 receiving yards and found the end zone once, production that fits the kind of role Todd Monken once helped carve out for Mike Evans in Tampa Bay.
The comparison matters because Cleveland still has bigger questions at quarterback and in the broader passing game, but Boston is making it harder to treat the receiver room as a secondary issue. If he keeps showing he can be a consistent, high-end pass catcher early in his career, the Browns may have to think more seriously about how much more is possible through the air, regardless of who is delivering the ball. [Read more 🡒]