The Cleveland Browns are coming off a game that they would like to forget. Head coach Todd Monken says there were some "really good things" on film from folks like quarterback Deshaun Watson. While the coaching staff remains optimistic, fans are less so.
In Week 2, things are not going to get any easier as they get to be the home opener once again, this time for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Oh, and the quarterback of that team is none other than Baker Mayfield. While some Browns fans and media have discounted Mayfield, he remains an issue for opposing defenses.
And on top of the Mayfield issue, this defense is loaded with playmakers once again. So if you're the Browns, you have a tall task ahead of you on Sunday. So ahead of that game, here are some
additional storylines we are watching within the game.
Baker Mayfield
One player can generate the biggest storyline of Week 2. Even if both teams are winless, Baker Mayfield draws attention, especially going against the former team that drafted him and dumped him for what they thought was greener pastures. Mayfield had one of the nastier divorces in recent NFL history, but he also has one of the better redemption arcs in league history. After the Browns moved on from him, he hopped around until he landed with the Bucs, and he has found his forever home there.
Now, he will have a chance to show them once again, this time up close, what they are missing out on.
Can Deshaun Watson look any better ahead of the home opener?
Deshaun Watson has the continued support of the coaching staff, publicly, but something has to give. The Browns cannot afford to play 16 more games the way they did in Week 1 because, if they do, it is going to put this team on a path it may never come back from.
However, playing bad on the road is one thing; doing it at home is something else. Watson made comments in the preseason about how the crowd was booing him for his off-the-field situations. Nothing could be further from the truth if he comes into Huntingdon Bank Field and plays the way he did in Week 1. To avoid that, he needs to build some momentum on Sunday against the Bucs.
Can Todd Monken keep this team together?
We hinted at it above some, but Todd Monken could very well lose this team if he cannot lead them to any sort of development or progress in 2026. No NFL team can withstand 17 weeks of losing, whether the records reflect it or not, this team has to show a lot in the coming weeks to avoid this being Monken's only season as a head coach.
Let the record show, I believe Monken deserves to be a coach, but the Deshaun Watson situation seemingly has him hogtied. He has to maneuver it anyway he can, but this is about 52 players, not one. Monken can start to right the ship in Week 2 with a win over the Bucs and Baker Mayfield.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Storylines to watch between the Browns and Bucs in Week 2
