CLEVELAND, Ohio — The quarterback battle is the story of the offseason for the Cleveland Browns, and rightfully so.
It’s a wide-open competition between Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, and the two rookies the Browns drafted: Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
How the rookies assimilate and how they look compared to the vets will be maybe the most important thing to come out of the voluntary portion of the offseason.
But with the first open OTA session on Wednesday, there’s still going to be more to watch than just this position group.
Less than a week away from watching practice, here are three non-QB storylines I’m curious about as voluntary sessions get underway:
Browns rookie minicamp, day 1
DT Mason Graham (94) takes part in the first day of Browns rookie minicamp at the Berea practice facility on Friday, May 9, 2025.David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
1. How Mason Graham will look among other D-linemen
Graham, the No. 5 overall pick, certainly passed the eyeball test at rookie minicamp, looking head and shoulders above the other non-drafted and tryout players in his position group — and yes, that’s despite him vomiting on the second day of minicamp because he “ate too many chicken wings” ahead of practice, as head coach Kevin Stefanski quipped.
But Wednesday will mark our first chance to see Graham work alongside the vets of his position group, and that’s always an important next step for rookies.
What we still won’t see is him alongside last year’s second-round pick, Mike Hall Jr., who suffered a knee injury that required surgery in the final game of the 2024 season in Baltimore.
While Hall is progressing well after undergoing that January procedure, he isn’t ready to participate in the voluntary offseason program yet, as cleveland.com previously reported.
Other veterans on the D-line include edge rushers Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire, along with Ogbo Okoronkwo, and Cleveland’s $40 million dollar a year man in Myles Garrett.
Veterans on the interior include Shelby Harris, Maliek Collins, and last year’s seventh-round pick Jowon Briggs.
Cleveland Browns running back Jerry Jeudy runs with the football during an NFL game against the Kansas City Chiefs
Which QBs will Jerry Jeudy mesh with this spring? (AP Photo/David Richard)
2. The pass catching corps
The Browns didn’t make any draft investments at receiver, but they did add TE Harold Fannin Jr. I’m especially curious to see how Fannin looks alongside David Njoku, who is coming off a down and injury-riddled season after making the Pro Bowl in 2023.
In QB adjacent things to watch, I’m curious to see which of the QBs No. 1 receiver Jerry Jeudy meshes well with coming off his first 1,000-yard season.
Also, without new receiver additions, it will be important for Cedric Tillman to take another step forward in his development. He missed the final six games of the year with a concussion he suffered in Cleveland’s Week 12 win against the Steelers.
While we saw him outside at later season practices, he never cleared the league’s concussion protocol
Cleveland Browns rookie minicamp day 2
Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins catches a pass during the Browns rookie minicamp in Berea. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
3. The remade running back room
We’ve gotten a chance to see draft picks Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson in minicamp, but much like with Graham, this will be the first chance to see them alongside vets in a practice setting.
Besides Judkins and Sampson, the group also consists of Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr., as well as UDFA Appalachian State running back Ahmani Marshall.
It’s a new era for the group without Nick Chubb in the fold, and much like QB, it’s going to be an important spring to see who jumps out and when.
It’s also a key position group to watch thanks to position coach Deuce Staley, who might be one of the toughest and most-interactive coaches on the staff.