CLEVELAND, Ohio — We have the 2025 Browns schedule, and now it’s time to look at what each of the teams they will play this season has changed ahead of the season.
I will provide these opponent breakdowns over the next several weeks leading up to the start of the season as we look at the biggest addition, subtraction, best draft pick and what they all mean for when they play the Browns.
Next up in our series is the Browns’ Week 12 opponent: the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders cleaned out their organization in 2024 after a 4-13 season, including firing Antonio Pierce as head coach and replacing him with Pete Carroll.
Las Vegas also reunited Carroll with his former quarterback from Seattle in Geno Smith. Can that reunion turn the Raiders closer towards competitiveness?
Here is a look at the Raiders offseason.
Check out links to earlier editions of this series at the bottom of this post.
Biggest addition: Smith.
The Raiders upgraded at the quarterback position this offseason from Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew by sending a third-round pick to Seattle in exchange for Smith. They also gave Smith a two-year extension worth $75 million.
Carroll played a big role in helping Smith get his career on track in Seattle. He was AP Comeback Player of the Year in 2022, leading the Seahawks to the playoffs and going 9-8. Seattle had winning seasons in each of the next two years for Smith.
In five total seasons in Seattle, Smith completed 68.5% of his passes for 12,961 yards, 76 touchdowns and 36 interceptions in 54 games. That kind of steadiness could be huge for a Raiders team that has struggled at the quarterback position in the last two seasons after Derek Carr left for New Orleans.
Biggest subtraction: CB Nate Hobbs.
Hobbs was a player I spotlighted earlier in this series when I talked about the Packers. The Raiders clearly found a gem in the fifth-round of the 2021 NFL Draft when they picked Hobbs 167th overall.
Hobbs started 38 of 51 games in four seasons for the Raiders, recording three interceptions and 19 pass breakups.
He signed a four-year, $48 million deal with Green Bay. I do like what the Raiders did to tweak their secondary by signing Jeremy Chinn and Eric Stokes among others. But it’s not easy to replace steady cornerbacks.
Best draft pick: RB Ashton Jeanty.
For a team that finished last in the NFL in rushing yards and yards per carry (3.6), getting a generational running back prospect to fall into their lap in the draft was fortuitous.
Jeanty was the Heisman Trophy runner-up to Travis Hunter in 2024 after one of the best seasons a running back has ever had. Jeanty rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns, leading Boise State to the College Football Playoff.
He went sixth overall to the Raiders, which is the earliest a running back has been drafted since Saquon Barkley went second in 2018, and he should have a major impact immediately.
What it means in their matchup with the Browns
The Browns were actually one of the few teams the Raiders ran the ball well against last season, gaining 152 yards in a 20-16 win in Week 4. The only game they ran for more yards was in Week 17 vs. the Saints when they gained 156 rushing yards in a 25-10 win.
The additions of not only Jeanty but also Smith should help the Raiders run the ball better. Smith’s play should make teams respect Las Vegas’ passing game more, and Jeanty, who is a clear upgrade at running back, should be able to take advantage of it.
The Raiders were 29th in the NFL in scoring (18.2 points per game) and bringing in Smith and Jeanty along with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, fresh off winning a national title at Ohio State last season, should help that number improve a fair amount.
The Browns struggled to stop the Raiders a year ago and will probably find it harder to do so this coming season. I do still have questions about the Raiders defense outside of star defensive end Maxx Crosby.
The Raiders have won five straight games vs. the Browns, and the moves they have made this offseason have them in a good position to try and extend that streak to six, especially considering this matchup is also in Las Vegas.
Catch up on the series
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