BEREA, Ohio — After a 2024 season wherein the Cleveland Browns’ offense ranked final in scoring and shuffled via 4 completely different beginning quarterbacks, the unit has been vastly reshaped previously a number of months.
Throughout that point, Cleveland fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and changed him with Tommy Rees, employed a brand new offensive line coach in Mike Bloomgren and used 5 of its seven draft picks on offense. And most notably, Cleveland added 4 new quarterbacks — Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders — to the place room this offseason.
The Browns’ new-look offense is starting to take form with the crew beginning organized crew actions this week, and Cleveland’s four-way quarterback competitors hovers over all the unit with the beginning of the NFL season lower than 100 days away.
“It is Day 2 for us, so I feel all people understands the place they’re alleged to be and after they’re alleged to be there,” coach Kevin Stefanski mentioned after follow Wednesday. “There’s somewhat little bit of directing site visitors once you’ve received two drills occurring at one time, however they’ve accomplished a very nice job. The gamers and coaches [are] ensuring that we’re working towards in a secure approach. We’re getting attractiveness for our guys to study from on each side of the ball and never asking greater than we have to of the fellows bodily.”
Here is a have a look at the place every place group stands within the Browns’ offense.
Quarterback
Wednesday’s follow supplied the primary have a look at a doable pecking order within the Browns’ quarterback competitors. Through the roughly 80-minute session, it was veterans Flacco and Pickett who cut up the first-team reps in crew drills. Gabriel and Sanders typically adopted the 2, conducting work with backups and third-stringers. In an try to maximise follow reps for every participant, the rookies at one level performed 7-on-7 drills on a separate discipline from the veterans.
Flacco, who’s getting into his 18th NFL season, is essentially the most skilled of the group. He additionally has familiarity with Stefanski’s offense after spending the latter portion of the 2023 season with the Browns and serving to make them the playoffs. However the Browns’ decision-makers have mentioned each quarterback added to the room will probably be anticipated to compete, they usually suppose extremely of every passer. Normal supervisor Andrew Berry mentioned the crew sought out Pickett, a 2020 first-round choose, as a commerce goal within the first wave of free company. Through the draft cycle, the crew was impressed with Gabriel, which led to the Browns selecting him within the third spherical. And whereas Gabriel was already on board, Cleveland on Day 3 noticed the collection of Sanders within the fifth spherical as a doable steal given his expertise.
After Wednesday’s follow, Stefanski once more downplayed the importance of the follow rep order and mentioned it could proceed to alter over the course of the offseason exercise program.
“We’re mixing it up each single day,” Stefanski mentioned. “In order that’s why I let you know to not learn a lot into it, although you guys do not take heed to me. However we’re simply making an attempt to get guys publicity to completely different ideas, these kinds of issues. So, it varies by walkthrough. It may fluctuate by drill. It isn’t one thing that we’re actually — we’re not leaning into or anxious concerning the order at this second.”
Working again
With franchise nice Nick Chubb (6,843 speeding yards and 51 whole TDs over seven seasons) unlikely to return to Cleveland, the Browns’ backfield will look drastically completely different in 2025. Cleveland drafted a pair of working backs in Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson whose contrasting types may kind a 1-2 punch for years to return. Judkins was a bodily downhill runner who amassed 3,785 speeding yards and 44 TDs throughout his time at Ole Miss and Ohio State, whereas Sampson (1,491 speeding yards and 22 TDs in 2024) was extra of a big-play risk at Tennessee.
The 2 rookies be a part of Jerome Ford (565 yards and three TDs in 2024), who has crammed in because the lead again over the previous two seasons whereas Chubb was sidelined to harm. With the Browns rating twenty ninth in speeding yards final season, there are many carries up for grabs in Cleveland’s backfield.
“I feel that is the blueprint of the league, one of the simplest ways it really works with working backs,” Sampson mentioned throughout rookie minicamp. “It is a lengthy season, so that you need as many individuals as you possibly can to go in there and cut up reps and do good for the crew. That retains all people contemporary. You see all of it throughout the league, and I feel we’ve got a chance to do this right here.”
Large receiver
The Browns enter OTAs with an inexperienced vast receiver room, save for Jerry Jeudy, who broke out with a Professional Bowl marketing campaign in 2024 with a career-high 1,229 receiving yards whereas scoring 4 touchdowns. Elijah Moore, who ranked second on the crew in catches final season (61), signed with the Buffalo Payments in April. Cleveland had signed vast receiver Diontae Johnson two days earlier than, however the veteran move catcher has not posted a 1,000-yard season since 2021, when he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s additionally coming off a yr wherein he hung out with three completely different groups and was launched twice.
At his greatest, Johnson is among the greatest route runners within the NFL. Since getting into the league in 2019, Johnson ranks first in ESPN’s open rating, which assesses the chance {that a} receiver would be capable to full a catch if he have been focused. The Browns covet sturdy route runners and he may fill a much-needed void reverse Jeudy. Younger move catchers corresponding to third-year participant Cedric Tillman and second-year wideout Jamari Thrash will obtain alternatives to carve out bigger roles, however the two have a mixed 53 profession catches. Johnson and Jeudy are the one vast receivers on the roster who’ve caught no less than 50 passes in a season.
“His route-running capability, his capability to separate, drop his weight out and in of routes, it is particular,” Pickett mentioned of Johnson, whom he performed with in Pittsburgh. “So, I am excited to get again on the market with him.”
Tight finish
Coming into his ninth season in Cleveland, David Njoku is trying to bounce again after accidents restricted him to 11 video games a yr after his lone Professional Bowl marketing campaign in 2023. The Browns may look to run extra two-tight-end units in 2025 and have the personnel to take action after drafting former Bowling Inexperienced standout Harold Fannin Jr. within the third spherical after main all FBS move catchers in receptions (117) and receiving yards (1,555) in 2024.
Berry known as Fannin, the Mid-American Convention Offensive Participant of the Yr, the “queen on the chessboard” due to his capability to line up at a number of positions on the sector.
“He is a very good ball-in-hand participant, can separate as a move catcher regardless of being somewhat bit undersized,” Berry mentioned. “He is actually motion type blocker, and he matches completely by way of what Kevin and Tommy wish to do philosophically on the offense.”
Offensive line
Regardless of on-field struggles and accidents that derailed the offensive line in 2024, the Browns opted towards main adjustments to the place group. Left guard Joel Bitonio introduced his return for his twelfth NFL season, and the crew agreed with proper deal with Jack Conklin to a reworked contract that can maintain him in Cleveland for the 2025 season. Heart Ethan Pocic and proper guard Wyatt Teller additionally return for one more yr with the crew, and former 2023 fourth-round choose Dawand Jones, who took over at left deal with earlier than a season-ending leg harm after which arthroscopic knee surgical procedure within the offseason, was again at follow Wednesday.
The Browns additionally added skilled depth in Cornelius Lucas and Teven Jenkins, who began seven and 14 video games final season, respectively.
After the 2024 season, a number of Browns offensive linemen advocated for a return to Stefanski’s working scheme, which the crew diverted from in an try and construct an offensive system round quarterback Deshaun Watson. With extra familiarity in Stefanski’s scheme and higher well being, the Browns’ hope is that they’ll get extra constant play from a unit that has been the anchor of the offense for a number of years.
