CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns are just beginning OTAs and already it’s pretty clear: This team looks quite a bit different from a year ago.
That’s to be expected after a 3-14 finish in 2024
The team had its first on-field session on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, it will be the first practice session open to reporters. It will provide the first chance to see several overhauled position groups, as well as a chance to see rookies with veterans.
By this stage of the offseason, rosters are for the most part complete in terms of new additions.
So as spring practices kick off, it’s worth taking another look at each position group to see where the Browns stand and the new faces in each room.
Cleveland Browns rookie minicamp day 2
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders talks to quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave during a drill at Browns rookie minicamp in Berea. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Quarterback
Who’s back: Deshaun Watson.
Who’s new: Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders.
Deshaun Watson is the lone returner and is still on the roster, but he’s still working his way back from re-tearing his Achilles tendon, and it would be shocking for him to suit up for the Browns this season.
For all intents and purposes, the four new guys are all that matter here.
At OTAs and throughout training camp, we are likely to see the QBs split up in order to get more reps. This is an open competition, but reading the tea leaves, Pickett seems to have the edge considering he’s a veteran whom Cleveland traded for.
This group is where all the eyeballs will be throughout the summer, so get ready to analyze some throwing videos the next three weeks.
Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins practices at rookie minicamp on May 9, 2025, in Berea, Ohio.
Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins practices at rookie minicamp on May 9, 2025, in Berea, Ohio.(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Running back
Who’s back: Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr.
Who’s new: Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, Ahmani Marshall, Troy Hairston (FB).
This is one of the position groups with the most notable new names.
There are the additions of Judkins, the No. 36 overall pick out of Ohio State, and Sampson, the Tennessee back who the Browns scooped up early on Day 3.
Both rookies have different running styles, Judkins more of a bruiser and Sampson smaller with more finesse. But I’ll be curious to see how they work alongside Ford in particular, who accepted a pay cut this offseason.
There is also the incredibly noticeable absence of Nick Chubb. Without him, it’s a new era in Cleveland indeed.
Browns rookie minicamp, day 1
TE Harold Fannin Jr. (88) takes part in the first day of Browns rookie minicamp at the Berea practice facility on Friday, May 9, 2025.David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
Tight end
Who’s back: David Njoku, Tre’ McKitty, Blake Whiteheart, Brendan Bates.
Who’s new: Harold Fannin Jr.
Will this be the year the Browns finally get key offensive production in the pass game outside of David Njoku? Fannin, the third rounder out of Bowling Green, seems like the best bet here and should get plenty of early reps. He’s great producing after the catch, and should be a perfect fit for a Kevin Stefanski offense.
Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens, January 4, 2025
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy runs after a catch against t he Baltimore Ravens in the second half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Wide receiver
Who’s back: Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, Jamari Thrash, Michael Woods II, David Bell, Kaden Davis.
Who’s new: DeAndre Carter, Diontae Johnson, Luke Floriea, Kisean Johnson, Gage Larvadain, Cade McDonald.
Most of the new guys in this room are undrafted rookies, save for Carter and Johnson, the latter of whom is looking to revive his career after bouncing around between Carolina, Baltimore and Houston last year.
The number of pass catchers will be key for the QB competition.
Among the returners, will Jeudy be able to improve upon his first 1,000-yard season? How will Tillman bounce back after missing the final six games of the 2024 season with a concussion? And can one of the younger returners like Thrash, Woods or Bell do enough to earn a consistent role?
Cleveland Browns players practice Thursday at their training headquarters in Berea as they gear up for the start of the season
Cleveland Browns guard Joel Bitonio talks with teammates as he stretches during practice in Berea. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Offensive line
Who’s back: Joel Bitonio (G), Javion Cohen (G), Jack Conklin (T), Dawand Jones (T), Roy Mbaeteka (T), Julian Pearl (T) Ethan Pocic (C), Wyatt Teller (G), Lorenzo Thompson (OL), Luke Wypler (C), Zak Zinter (G).
Who’s new: Jason Ivey (T), Brady Latham (G), Cornelius Lucas (T), Teven Jenkins (G), Justin Osborne (C), Dartanyan Tinsley (G).
Four of the five starting spots are locked in on this line already with Conklin, Teller, Pocic and Bitonio right to left. The left tackle job is Jones’ to lose after his three-game tryout at the position last season.
Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett speaks during a press conference after signing a record setting extension to stay in Cleveland
Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett speaks during a press conference after signing a record-setting extension to stay in Cleveland.Dan Labbe
Defensive end
Who’s back: Myles Garrett, Sam Kamara, Isaiah McGuire, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Elerson G. Smith, Cameron Thomas, Alex Wright.
Who’s new: Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Julian Okwara, Adin Huntington.
Tryon-Shoyinka is the most-notable new addition with the Browns scooping him up early in free agency.
Garrett is the engine of this group, but who will be No. 2 behind him? Will it be Tryon-Shoyinka in his second NFL stop? Or will it be Okoronkwo, or one of the Browns younger edge rushers in Wright or McGuire?
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
Defensive tackle
Who’s back: Jowon Briggs, Mike Hall Jr., Shelby Harris.
Who’s new: Mason Graham, Maliek Collins, Ralph Holley.
This group has experienced turnover with no more Dalvin Tomlinson or Mo Hurst, both of whom were key pieces in Jim Schwartz’s unit the last two seasons.
The addition of Graham, the No. 5 overall pick, once again signals that the Browns are looking for interior pass rush production.
How Graham will fit in along the rest of the D-line will be one of the key storylines of the spring.
Cleveland Browns rookie minicamp, May 10, 2025
Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger runs after intercepting a pass during 11-on-11 drills at Browns rookie minicamp in Berea. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Linebacker
Who’s back: Devin Bush, Mohamoud Diabate, Jordan Hicks, Khaleke Hudson, Winston Reid, Nathaniel Watson
Who’s new: Jerome Baker, Carson Schwesinger, Easton Mascarenas-Arnold
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will miss the 2025 season after suffering a scary neck injury in a violent collision with Ravens running back Derrick Henry on Oct. 27 at Huntington Bank Field. The Browns placed him on the reserve/physically unable to perform list on May 12.
Schwesinger is the key new addition to this group, the Browns’ No. 33 overall pick and their first major off-the-ball linebacker investment since the team drafted JOK in 2021.
The UCLA product had a strong rookie minicamp, picking off Gabriel during team drills.
Cleveland Browns practice, August 28, 2024
Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward runs through a drill during practice in Berea. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Cornerback
Who’s back: Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II, Martin Emerson Jr., Cameron Mitchell, Myles Harden, Chigozie Anusiem, Tony Brown II.
Who’s new: LaMareon James, Dom Jones, Anthony Kendall, Nik Needham.
This room is largely unchanged, and the core three of Ward, Newsome and Emerson are all back. Newsome is playing out his fifth-year option and will have something to prove. Mitchell and Harden should each get more opportunities.
Harden had a strong training camp as a rookie, but suffered a shin injury in September that landed him on IR. He didn’t play until the final four games of the 2024 season.
Cleveland Browns practice, August 28, 2024
Cleveland Browns safety Grant Delpit works on his interception skills in a drill during practice in Berea. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Safety
Who’s back: Grant Delpit, Ronnie Hickman, Christopher Edmonds.
On the roster: Rayshawn Jenkins, Damontae Kazee, Donovan McMillon.
It’s a transitional period for this room after Juan Thornhill’s time in Cleveland flopped and with Rodney McLeod’s retirement. Cleveland also lost a key rotational piece in D’Anthony Bell in free agency to the Seahawks.
Delpit is at his best playing down in the box. Can Hickman, the 2023 undrafted product out of Ohio State, take another step forward after being key in the rotation the last two seasons?
Browns battle the Bengals at Paycor Stadium
Cleveland Browns place kicker Dustin Hopkins attempts an extra point held by Cleveland Browns punter Corey Bojorquez that he missed in the second half. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Specialists
Who’s back: Corey Bojorquez (P), Dustin Hopkins (K), Rex Sunahara (LS).
Who’s new: Andre Szmyt (K), Brent Matiscik (LS).
The Browns stuck with Hopkins through the worst season of his career. Whether he gets back on track is the question for this specialist group, but Szmyt gives them a camp leg and a fallback plan. He spent a week with the team last season amid Hopkins’ struggles.
Sunahara, a Bay Village native who handled the long snapping duties after Charley Hughlett got hurt last season, will have some competition from Matiscik, a rookie.
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