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Between Deshaun Watson and Baker Mayfield, the Cleveland Browns find themselves in a thorny pit.
The team has had to deal with new headlines regarding their future quarterback Watson almost every other day. Meanwhile, Mayfield, their quarterback of the past, is still on the roster, twiddling his thumbs and wondering what comes next.
The team is understandably taking fire from all quarters, including analyst Colin Cowherd. On "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," the show host took several shots at the organization. Here's how Cowherd bluntly put it:
"I am done talking about Russell Westbrook and Baker Mayfield. But the Browns now are making it official. According to Albert Breer, they are willing to pay half of Baker Mayfield salary now, and that's a big step."
He added:
"They have now gone from we're not paying any of it to we're going to pay half of it."
Cowherd said the Browns have no one but themselves to blame for the situation they find themselves in.
"One of the reasons the Browns are now in this position they are in with the two biggest newsmakers at quarterback in the NFL. Noisy Baker Mayfield - they're moving off him. It's a headline every week. And Deshaun Watson, who's a headline virtually every day."
He went on to question the team's thought process in making a move for Watson.
"Now the reason they're there is because they work from a position of desperation. You'd think an organization would have a plan if you're going to move off Baker Mayfield. Instead, Cleveland went, 'let's get this guy and worry about Baker later.' Shocker: Cleveland miscalculated."
Cowherd concluded with a damning statement, describing Cleveland as a "bad organization."
"But this is what Cleveland does. This is what bad organizations do. And there's about seven of these kind of teams franchises in the NFL. But, you know, they're just poorly run because they have bad ownership."
From 1-31 to Deshaun Watson: Cleveland Browns recap
Before Baker Mayfield's arrival, the Browns were 1-31 over the course of a two-year period that ultimately put the team in a position to draft the quarterback in 2018.
In the rookie's first year, the team won six games. The following season, Mayfield led them to six wins once again. In year three, the Browns had their best season in decades as they went 11-5 and even won a playoff game.
However, the team's lofty expectations for 2021 made the season a bitter disappointment. The Browns finished under .500, pushing the franchise to look at their options at quarterback once again.
At the same time, Deshaun Watson became a realistic option, but it took the team a $230 million fully guaranteed contract to get him in the building. Mayfield was pushed aside and the team became the center of their new quarterback's massage fiasco, putting them in their current quandary.
The Browns will be hoping that the situation is cleared up before the new season begins.
