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Cleveland Browns 2025 NFL Season Preview

[Editor's note: This article is from Athlon Sports' 2025 NFL Preview Magazine. Order your copy today online or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]

In the wake of a 3-14 season in 2024 and a public acknowledgment that their big bet on quarterback Deshaun Watson has failed, the Browns face an uncertain future. They don’t know who their starting quarterback will be in 2025 or ’26, and past investments in Watson and in older players whose contracts were structured around Watson’s have left the team in a difficult salary-cap position.

It’s fair to wonder about the futures of general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski, just as it’s fair to wonder what the team might really classify as success in the season ahead. If the Browns just return to respectability and develop some young players, maybe ownership will view the season favorably. But the Browns are holding an open quarterback competition and added an extra first-round pick in 2026, an indication that their signal-caller search might resume early next year.

More NFL team previews

AFC East: Bills | Dolphins | Jets | Patriots

AFC North:Bengals | Browns | Ravens | Steelers

AFC South:Colts | Jaguars | Texans | Titans

AFC West: Broncos | Chargers | Chiefs | Raiders

NFC East:Commanders | Cowboys | Eagles | Giants

NFC North: Bears | Lions | Packers | Vikings

NFC South: Buccaneers | Falcons | Panthers | Saints

NFC West: 49ers | Cardinals | Rams | Seahawks

All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett publicly requested a trade in February and then went on a media tour in which he said he was ready for a fresh start and didn’t believe the Browns were ready to win. In March, the Browns signed Garrett to an extension through 2030 that briefly made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history and apparently convinced him that things would be OK.

Garrett leads a defense that has some nice pieces. The Browns have an experienced but aging offensive line, and they have almost a completely blank slate at quarterback.

Offense

At quarterback, the Browns are going to camp with veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett and two draft picks, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The Browns chose not to draft a quarterback in the first two rounds but took Gabriel and the third and decided to end Sanders’ slide in the fifth. Some believe Sanders is talented enough to eventually become the starter, but his draft position says he’s guaranteed nothing.

Either Flacco or Pickett will probably win the starting job this summer, but unless the Browns are playoff contenders, expect one of the rookies to be playing later in the season. Watson is signed through 2026, and the Browns currently have salary-cap commitments to him through 2028, but he’s recovering from a second Achilles injury and isn’t expected to play for Cleveland again.

Shedeur Sanders

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) watches as quarterback Dillon Gabriel

In wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and tight end David Njoku, the Browns think they have foundational pieces in a group of skill players that’s in transition. Jeudy was a nice, low-cost find ahead of 2024, and Njoku enters the final year of his current contract looking to recapture his 2023 form. Third-year wide receiver Cedric Tillman posted some big games last season before missing time with a concussion, but he will return to the starting lineup. The Browns did not add a wide receiver in the draft, which can be taken both as an endorsement of Tillman and an acknowledgment that the position is wide open after the two starters.

Second-round pick Quinshon Judkins figures to be the starting running back as the Browns return to running a wide-zone scheme with Stefanski going back to being the play-caller. Running back Jerome Ford is only signed through this season, and fourth-round selection Dylan Sampson will also compete for backfield touches. Though the addition of two rookies makes Ford’s future uncertain, Ford has the speed to create big plays, and Judkins is viewed more as a powerful, short-yardage runner. After the Browns posted only eight rushing touchdowns last season, expect to see an emphasis on running the ball well in 2025 with the hopes that a strong run game can open things up for the play-action pass game.

Right tackle Jack Conklin has been solid when healthy. But the Browns have questions at left tackle, with Dawand Jones making a full-time position switch and returning from offseason knee surgery. The interior core of guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller and center Ethan Pocic has been good, but all three are signed only through 2025. Bitonio, a perennial Pro Bowler, considered retirement before deciding to return for a 12th and potentially final season.

Defense

Garrett can take over games, and he always commands extra attention from opposing offenses. The Browns’ thinking in starting their draft with tackle Mason Graham is that Garrett can continue to dominate on the outside and that Graham can consistently win against single blocks on the inside. Third-year coordinator Jim Schwartz wants an aggressive unit that forces opposing quarterbacks into mistakes, and the team believes that the defense is good enough to carry the offense for at least part of the season ahead.

Cornerback Denzel Ward remains one of the league’s best as he enters his eighth NFL season. The Browns thought they had another star opposite Ward in Martin Emerson Jr., but Emerson struggled in 2024 after posting two strong seasons to start his career. Both Emerson and Greg Newsome II are signed only through 2025, so the future at the position is a little uncertain.

Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns, USA Today

Browns defensive back Denzel Ward

USA Today

Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah suffered a potentially significant neck injury last October and is out for the 2025 season. The Browns drafted linebacker Carson Schwesinger in the second round and signed Jerome Baker in free agency in preparation for playing without Owusu-Koramoah, who went to the Pro Bowl after the 2023 season.

The Browns have experience and leadership in safety Grant Delpit, linebacker Jordan Hicks, new defensive tackle Maliek Collins and defensive tackle Shelby Harris. Fourth-year edge rusher Alex Wright will return from injury and try to play his way into the team’s longer-term plans, and edge Joe Tryon-Shoyinka was also signed to a one-year deal to help the pass rush.

Specialists

Punter Corey Bojorquez has posted some solid seasons and gives the coaching staff a comfort level with the punting game. The Browns don’t want Bojorquez to be nearly as busy as he was last season, but he’s proven he can punt in less-than-ideal weather.

In 2023, the Browns acquired Dustin Hopkins just before the start of the season, and Hopkins went on to set a franchise records for field goals made (33) while going 8-for-8 from 50 yards and beyond. Hopkins signed a contract extension before 2024 and then had a difficult year, leaving the future of the Browns’ kicking position uncertain. The contract, which goes through the 2027 season, says Hopkins will be given a chance to bounce back, but the Browns are a future-focused team and won’t be afraid to move on if Hopkins struggles again.

The team won’t know who wins its return specialist jobs until later this summer, but veteran DeAndre Carter was added in March and will be given a chance to make the team.

Final Analysis

The Browns probably aren’t a playoff team, but the defense is talented enough to at least make things difficult on opponents. Now, can the offense find some help from the rookie class — and at least decent quarterback play? That’s both a mystery and probably the key to the Browns having at least a competitive season. If a rookie quarterback emerges, the future looks at least somewhat bright. If the offense bottoms out again, the Browns will almost certainly be in fourth place in the AFC North and back in the top five of the draft.