After a disappointing 3-14 season in 2024, the Browns rightfully transitioned into a rebuilding phase in 2025. The offseason began tumultuous with Myles Garrett requesting a trade which threatened to cause a complete roster overhaul. However, the Browns’ front office managed to retain Myles while navigating the (financial) aftermath of the Deshaun Watson deal. With Watson mostly out of the picture, Cleveland is poised to shift into a new era of Browns football, hopefully with fewer off-field distractions. For the first time since 2021, the Browns had significant draft assets to replenish their roster. This year alone, Cleveland had three times as many top-40 selections as in the previous four drafts combined! While this team still has a lot to prove to be considered competitive again, it’s clearly heading in the right direction.
The Positive
1. Reclaiming the Offensive Identity!
The Deshaun Watson acquisition brought a significant shift in the Browns’ offensive approach, aiming to tailor the scheme around his skill set. This even led to Kevin Stefanski handing over play-calling duties to Ken Dorsey, who had more experience with the style of offense Cleveland was trying to implement. Now, with both Watson and Dorsey out of the picture, this offense will once again be Stefanski’s brainchild. Based on their offseason additions, I’d expect a return to incorporating the 12-personnel, wide-zone and play-action elements that defined the early stages of Stefanski’s tenure in Cleveland. With a revamped running back room and lingering questions at quarterback, the offensive focus may revert back toward the ground game, or at the very least, become more balanced than it was last year. For context, the Browns led the league in pass attempts (661) in 2024, while ranking just 28th in rushing attempts (391). Those rankings were essentially flipped in 2020, when they ranked 28th in pass attempts (501) and 4th in rushing attempts (495). Regardless, Stefanski has shown to be a bright and adaptable offensive mind at times, and with full control this season, I expect him to reaffirm that reputation.
2. Visions for the Future
Aside from Myles Garrett, the Browns avoided making any significant financial commitments beyond 2025 this offseason. Cleveland spent the 6th fewest total money on free agents, filling many of their needs with players on cheap deals or draft picks. The primary goal this season will be evaluating the current roster, especially with a number of starters and key contributors set to hit free agency next offseason. Given the cap constraints the Browns will continue to face over the next few years, they’ll need to be deliberate when it comes to handing out big-money extensions. The most critical part of that evaluation will center on the quarterback room. Heading into the 2026 offseason with an optimistic outlook on either Kenny Pickett or one of their rookies would mark a major step toward becoming competitive again. By adding an extra first-round pick next year, the Browns set themselves up nicely to either aggressively pursue a quarterback in the draft, if none of their current options pan out, or to accelerate the roster build with premium talent. While expectations for this season remain modest, the long-term outlook for 2026 and beyond is an optimistic one.
3. Adding O-Line Depth
The offensive line, and its health, was a significant concern for Cleveland last season. Only Joel Bitonio and Ethan Pocic played 90% or more of the team’s offensive snaps. Even setting injuries aside, the individual performance, particularly from the guard tandem, fell short of the standard set just a few years ago. Cleveland appears to be running it back with last year’s starters, with the exception of Dawand Jones stepping in as the left tackle. While the replacement of O-line coach Andy Dickerson with former Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren could lead to improved play, it certainly isn’t a guarantee for this aging unit. That said, the additions of Cornelius Lucas and Teven Jenkins significantly improved the offensive line’s depth and versatility. Lucas, who has extensive experience at both tackle positions, ranks among the league’s top backups, especially in terms of pass protection. Should Dawand Jones continue to struggle, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Lucas take over as the starter at some point. Although Jenkins has been injury-prone, he’s one of the better overall guards in the NFL when healthy. With significant snaps at both guard spots and substantial experience at tackle from his college days, he’s an ideal 6th man, who could even earn a long-term role with the team beyond 2025.
The Uncertain
1. Quarterback
The legendary John Madden once said: “If you have two quarterbacks, you have none“, which makes having 4 an even bigger problem. With the Watson era essentially over, the Browns took a volume-based approach with their QBs, bringing in 4 new faces while essentially clearing out the old room. The group of Pickett, Flacco, Gabriel and Sanders is still competing for the starting job, with no clear frontrunner emerging so far. That uncertainty creates real challenges. Building chemistry between a quarterback and his offensive line, as well as the pass catchers, is crucial, and dividing valuable practice reps among multiple QBs will only slow that process down. While Joe Flacco may stand out due to his late-season success in 2023, starting a 40-year old quarterback probably shouldn’t be the first option in a season focused on long-term evaluation. The bigger concern may be that this room lacks elite upside. None of the current options strikes one with elite traits to become this top-tier quarterback that can win games by himself. I fear that Cleveland’s best-case scenario might be similar to teams like the Dolphins with Tua or the Vikings when they still had Kirk Cousins. These teams got stable and efficient quarterback play that was good enough to stay competitive with the right pieces in place, but not quite enough to win it all. That said, there’s still hope that one of the younger players can emerge as the guy. But until proven otherwise, it’s probably reasonable to keep expectations tempered.
2. Starting O-Line
While I previously discussed the Browns’ O-line depth as a positive, there’s a different conversation to be had when it comes to the starting 5. Between Dawand Jones’ struggles last year, the potential continued decline of Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio, and Jack Conklin’s injury history, there are plenty of reasons to be worried about this group heading into 2025. On top of that, 4 of the 5 starters (everyone except Jones) are playing on expiring deals, leaving little clarity about the long-term plan beyond this season. The hope is likely that an improvement in coaching can help getting some of these guys back on track, but that might be more wishful thinking than realistic expectations. Age is also becoming a factor: Bitonio is taking things year-to-year in terms of retirement, while Teller, Pocic, and Conklin will all be at least 30 years old at the start of the season. The Browns have a couple of recent draft picks in Zak Zinter and Luke Wypler who could be poised for bigger roles in the future, but neither has shown much at the NFL level yet. Teven Jenkins is another name to watch beyond 2025, if the Browns feel confident in his durability. Still, given the long-term question marks along the O-line and the limited cap flexibility to invest heavily, I would’ve loved to see Cleveland address this need at some point during the draft.
3. Kicker Situation
After enjoying a career year in 2023, highlighted by converting all 8 of his 50-plus-yard field goal attempts, Dustin Hopkins fell of a cliff in 2024. Despite currently being tied for the 5th-highest-paid kicker in the NFL, his on-field production last season ranked among the worst at his position. His field goal (66.7%) and extra point (85%) percentages were both the 2nd-worst marks among kickers with at least 15 attempts. He also connected on just 4 of 8 attempts from 50-plus yards in 2024. One might argue that kicker shouldn’t be an exceptionally high priority for any team, let alone one in the middle of a rebuild, but the contrast between Hopkins’ last two seasons shows just how much of a difference a kicker can make. While the Browns didn’t find themselves in many close-game situations last year, these missed field goals and extra points will become more costly once they do. Given the structure of Hopkins’ contract, moving on from him this season would be difficult. However, if he continues to perform like he did in 2024, the team may not have much of a choice. Cleveland also has Andre Szmyt under contract, who spent 2024 in the UFL and converted on 87% of his field goal attempts, including a 61-yarder. Hopkins is still expected to be the Week 1 starter based on his salary, but don’t be surprised if Szmyt sticks around on the practice squad as insurance.
Conclusion
Although it will still take significant work to climb out of the hole left by the entire Deshaun Watson situation, it’s encouraging to see this team trending in the right direction again. With Stefanski and Berry likely on the hot seat, surviving the upcoming season will be crucial for them to continue the vision they began building this offseason. That said, I still believe the front office and coaching staff are capable enough to turn this into a functional football team again in the future. There will be a lot of uncertainty, especially regarding individual players, who will ultimately determine the outcome of this season. Coupled with one of the toughest schedules on paper, it will be a challenge for this team to win many games in 2025. However, this season is less about winning and more about laying the foundation for a roster that can compete and win in the future.
Image Licensing: “Cleveland Mural” by “Peter Ciro“, originally licensed under “CC BY-NC-ND 2.0“
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