Do the Browns finally have a QB worthy of the AFC North?

Rookie Mayfield could one day be division’s premier passer.

Would you trade Baker Mayfield for Andy Dalton?

That thought crossed my mind as the Browns prepare to face Dalton and the Bengals in Cincinnati this weekend.

Dalton is having a better year than I thought: 20 TD passes com- pared to 10 interceptions, 62 percent completion. His career record is 68-49-2. He’s never won a playoff game, but four times his teams have reached the postseason.

Dalton became a starter in 2011, the same year the Browns opened the season with Colt McCoy. Since then, the Browns’ opening day quarterbacks have been Brandon Weeden (2012, 2013), Brian Hoyer (2014), Josh McCown (2015), Robert Griffin III (2016), DeShone Kizer (2017) and Tyrod Taylor (2018).

At the age of 31, Dalton is at his peak. He’s a pretty good NFL quarterback. Would you trade Mayfield for Dalton?

Absolutely not. At least, that’s my answer.

It’s easy to become captivated by a promising rookie. Mayfield has played only eight NFL games. He is the best rookie quarterback in his class ... by far.

I expect more from him than Dalton. Maybe not now, but in the next few years. Looking at the field

I remember talking to an executive from an AFC team.

“Terry, don’t you get it? The Browns are going nowhere in the AFC North until they get a quarterback worthy of that division,” he said. “Those guys they’ve had for years — forget it.”

But how about now? Pittsburgh rules the division and Ben Roethlisberger still plays like a future Hall of Famer. But he’s 36 years old. Maybe he can defy time for a few more seasons — quarterbacks can be effective as they approach 40. But it’s doubtful Roethlisberger will haunt the Browns for even five more years. Dalton is 31 and OK. What about Baltimore? Then there’s Joe Flacco. The Baltimore quarterback is 33. It’s hard to know what his future is in Baltimore. The Ravens are 5-5. Coach John Harbaugh could be fired at the end of the season. The Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson, who started last week in place of the injured Flacco.

Baltimore used a runheavy attack, relying more on the legs of Jackson than his arm in Sunday’s 24-21 win over Cincinnati.

This much is certain in Baltimore: Far more of Flacco’s Ravens career is in the past than the future. And I don’t see Jackson playing at the same level as Mayfield. The future is Baker?

I know this is a way-tooearly prediction, but Mayfield appears to have given the Browns a chance to compete in the AFC North. At least, when it comes to quarterbacks.

If you like the confusing QB rating system, here’s how the four QBs rank: Roethlisberger (15th), Dalton (20th), Mayfield (23rd) and Flacco (27th). The only quarterback in that group likely to take a significant step forward in his career is Mayfield.

Mayfield has thrown 13 TD passes compared to seven interceptions. He’s completing 62 percent of his passes. In his last two games with new offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, he has competed 74 percent of his passes: five TDs compared to a single interception. He has the arm strength to throw the ball through the cold and the wind in this division.

My guess is Baltimore would love to have Mayfield. Cincinnati possibly could feel the same way.

Pittsburgh is Pittsburgh, and hopefully Mayfield can become good enough to make those games with the Steelers relevant.

I know this much: Mayfield at least gives the Browns a chance to make that happen.