Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield in Make or Break Season After 'Inconsistent Performances'

It feels like forever since Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback was a first-round NFL Draft pick and potential franchise savior for the Cleveland Browns.

There's a reason Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is on his fourth roster in two years, and while some of it certainly isn't his fault, some of it likely is. 

Even if he isn't directly responsible for being cast out of the Cleveland Browns franchise to an equally if not worse one with the Carolina Panthers before being granted his release, Mayfield's path to the Bucs has been bumpy, but he's been behind the wheel. 

While he can't control everything, he'll need to control what he can with this next chance he has to prove himself or risk being cast aside forever, making this a make-or-break season for Mayfield according to NFL.com's Bucky Brooks.

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"Despite the flashes that have kept evaluators enamored with the former No. 1 overall pick, Mayfield's resume has been littered with inconsistent performances," Brooks says. "With a 31-38 record as a starter, Mayfield has shown he can win with a stellar supporting cast, but the Buccaneers' remade offense could expose his biggest flaws as a playmaker."

Of course, before Mayfield can make or break himself in the regular season he has to first beat third-year quarterback Kyle Trask for the starting job in the first place. 

Losing that battle could put the year into the broken column before it even has a chance to be successful, as just about nobody outside of the Florida Gators fan base is giving Trask a shot at winning the job. 

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And that alone may be unfair, just like the stigma following Mayfield after being dealt from a historically bad quarterback franchise to a situation in Carolina that was easily the most desperate of all NFL hot-seat scenarios last season. 

Tampa Bay is relying on the more stable version of Mayfield that appeared in Los Angeles at the end of the year, and the one that gave the Browns their first playoff win in his lifetime. 

If the Buccaneers get that Mayfield, then this experiment could become a long-term relationship. 

Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82

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