CLEVELAND — Throughout the Cleveland Browns' 2021 season, few had a better look at what Baker Mayfield was dealing with than his backup, Case Keenum.
"One of the gutsiest, toughest performances of a quarterback playing in a season I've ever seen," said Keenum, who went on to reveal, "there were some weeks, getting him onto the field was a small miracle.”
Keenum's comments come at the tail end of a season in which Mayfield has been battling injuries since suffering a torn labrum while chasing down a tackle during the Browns' Week 2 win over the Houston Texans. The No. 1 pick of the 2018 NFL Draft later reaggravated the injury taking a sack from Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt in Week 6 and played the bulk of the 2021 campaign wearing a brace on his left shoulder.
Yet despite being banged up -- Mayfield also dealt with knee and foot injuries at different points during the season -- he only missed one start due to injury before opting not to play in Cleveland's regular-season finale vs. the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday as he prepares to undergo shoulder surgery. The results weren't pretty, with the Oklahoma product underperforming as the Browns amassed a 7-9 record en route to being eliminated from postseason contention before their Week 17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mayfield's injury situation has led many to speculate that, in hindsight, Keenum should have started more games in order to allow the Browns' starter to heal. Keenum, however, wasn't willing to go down that path, opting instead to focus on his upcoming start.
"I'm not in the business right now of reflecting on the season," Keenum said. "I'm looking forward to the Bengals."