11/08/2021
There's a strange irony the Browns find themselves in with Baker.
They've surrounded him with great talent, including a top-3 offensive line, two great running backs, and a well rounded receiving corps.
And that might be what hurts the Browns the most.
When young QB's are good, franchises usually do exceptionally well. It's the most fruitful ground for team success. The player at the most important position in team sports is good AND cheap-a rarity.
Because of the affordability of the QB position, teams have the flexibility to pay more for supporting players. It's a win/win for the team.
But the Browns have almost been TOO good at this strategy.
The line is arguably the best in football, particularly at running the ball (more on that later).
The receivers are dependable and productive, if not electric. And if OBJ is back at full strength, the overall receiving group, including tight ends, could easily be among the most dangerous in the league.
Now back to the running game. It's the best backfield in football. And that matters to a young QB. It's the best safety net, clock chewer, and tone-setter in football.
Why is this a problem? It's simple.
Every one of these factors aid QB play and the Browns didn't just get it right, they got it nearly perfect.
This leaves the team, and Baker, in a unique place. It's nearly impossible to determine his value with a nearly perfect situation surrounding him.
And it's not just "a good problem to have".
When the Browns throw a bunch of money at Baker, it will accelerate the loss of depth that the team is already experiencing.
After the Myles Garrett deal and a few lesser extensions, and with the Chubb/Ward/Teller/Baker extensions on the horizon, the dominos began to fall.
The most prominent was of course, Sheldon Richardson. He (and to a lesser degree) Larry Ogunjobi were replaced with lesser-known commodities Malik McDowell, Jordan Elliot, covid opt-out-returnee Andrew Billings, and rookie Tommy Togiai. The whole may be greater than the sum of its parts, but it's probably the largest positional question mark on the team.
After the signing of Baker, and likely Ward, and possibly Teller, the roster pruning will have to increase. This all leads to one inevitable outcome.
The Browns will have to rely on their bet on Baker to an increasing degree as the years of his contract march on. The wrong decision will undermine roster depth for the length of the deal.
When taken as a whole, the decision seems pretty clear: the decision isn't.
I'd work on a medium-length deal that would pay Baker a base salary around the 9th-12th best QB's, with a ton of incentives, many reachable, that would pay him among the top 3 signal callers.
Hopefully the Browns and Baker can see how special this situation is-and I don't just mean the contract situation. Cleveland has been waiting for more than 2 decades for strong QB play and if Baker can give the city a decade of it, he'll be a sports god in the city for a century.
