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Ken Zampese’s history of developing quarterbacks is good news for Redskins

By Jacob Camenker

CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 29: Offensive coordinator Ken Zampese of the Cincinnati Bengals reacts during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Paul Brown Stadium on September 29, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Bengals defeated the Dolphins 22-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 29: Offensive coordinator Ken Zampese of the Cincinnati Bengals reacts during the game against the Miami Dolphins at Paul Brown Stadium on September 29, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Bengals defeated the Dolphins 22-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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CINCINNATI, OH – DECEMBER 29: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns throws the ball during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH – DECEMBER 29: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns throws the ball during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield

After 15 seasons with the Bengals, Zampese stayed in the AFC North and went to the Browns as their quarterbacks coach in 2018. This came after his failed stint as the offensive coordinator with the Bengals.

Hue Jackson brought in Zampese to work with what the Browns had at quarterback. At the time, that was Tyrod Taylor and 2018 No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield. Zampese’s main job was to help develop Mayfield behind Taylor, and he did such a good job that Mayfield didn’t remain on the bench very long in 2018.

Taylor stumbled to an 0-1-1 start with the Browns before looking dreadful in Week 3 against the New York Jets. He couldn’t complete passes at all, going 4-of-14 for a paltry 19 yards before getting yanked in favor of Mayfield. The rookie put on a show and helped to lead the Browns to a comeback win over the No. 3 overall pick, Sam Darnold, in what was Mayfield’s early signature moment in the NFL.

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From there, Mayfield continued to perform well. Like most of the young quarterbacks that Zampese has worked with, Mayfield had some issues with interceptions that came from risky downfield throws. But overall, he helped keep the Browns competitive and finished with a 6-7 record as a starter during his rookie year. And really, he deserves the credit for the win against the Jets, so he was truly 7-7.

Mayfield’s final rookie stat line looked like this: 63.8 percent completion rate, 3,725 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He looked every bit as good as those stats indicate, and there was a little bit of Drew Brees in his accuracy and ball placement.

It looked like Mayfield was poised to be one of the better young quarterbacks in the game, but then, Zampese didn’t stick around when Freddie Kitchens was named the head coach for 2019. Mayfield’s second season saw him regress significantly. He tossed 22 touchdowns compared to 21 picks and completed just 59.4 percent of his passes while leading the Browns to a 6-10 record.

Zampese’s departure isn’t the only reason for Mayfield’s big step back. His offensive line play was worse, especially at the tackle position. But even still, the fact that Mayfield was so much worse without Zampese is noteworthy, and it just points to the work that the veteran quarterbacks coach has been able to do during his time at the NFL level.

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