Browns: Shedeur Sanders at the helm? QB competition and revamped offense

Browns Bolster Offense After a Challenging Season

After a 2024 season where the Cleveland Browns’ offense ranked last in scoring and rotated between four different starting quarterbacks, the unit has undergone a significant transformation in recent months. This period has seen the arrival of a new offensive coordinator, Tommy Rees, and a new offensive line coach, Mike Bloomgren. In addition, the team has drafted five offensive players and added four new quarterbacks to its roster.

The Browns’ revamped offense is taking shape as the team begins its organized team activities this week. The quarterback competition is the focus, with the start of the NFL season less than 100 days away.

“It’s day 2 for us, so I think everyone understands where they’re supposed to be and when they’re supposed to be there,” commented coach Kevin Stefanski after Wednesday’s practice. “There’s a little bit of traffic direction when you have two drills going on at the same time, but they’ve done a really good job. The players and coaches are making sure we’re practicing safely. We’re getting good opportunities for our guys to learn on both sides of the ball and we’re not asking them to do more than they need to physically.”

Kevin Stefanski

Here’s an analysis of the situation for each position group on the Browns’ offense.

Quarterbacks

Wednesday’s practice offered a first look at the possible hierarchy in the Browns’ quarterback competition. During the approximately 80-minute session, veterans Flacco and Pickett split reps with the first team in team drills. Gabriel and Sanders often followed the two, working with the backups and the third-stringers. In an effort to maximize practice reps for each player, the rookies at one point ran 7-on-7 drills on a field separate from the veterans.

Flacco, who is entering his 18th season in the NFL, is the most experienced of the group. He is also familiar with Stefanski’s offense after spending the latter part of the 2023 season with the Browns and helping lead them to the playoffs. However, Browns’ executives have stated that each added quarterback is expected to compete, and they have high regard for each passer. General manager Andrew Berry said the team pursued Pickett, a 2020 first-round pick, as a trade target in the first wave of free agency. During the draft cycle, the team was impressed with Gabriel, which led the Browns to select him in the third round. And although Gabriel was already on board, Cleveland saw the Day 3 selection of Sanders in the fifth round as a potential steal given his talent.

After Wednesday’s practice, Stefanski downplayed the significance of the order of practice repetitions and said it would continue to change over the course of the offseason training program.

“We’re mixing it up every day,” Stefanski said. “That’s why I tell you guys not to pay too much attention, although you don’t listen to me. But we’re just trying to get the guys exposed to different concepts, that type of thing. So it varies by the install. It can vary by the drill. It’s not something we’re really focusing on or concerned about the order at this point.”

Kevin Stefanski

Runners

With the likely absence of Nick Chubb, the Browns’ running game will experience significant changes in 2025. The team drafted Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson, whose different styles could form an effective combination. Judkins, a physical runner, accumulated 3,785 rushing yards and 44 touchdowns at Ole Miss and Ohio State, while Sampson was a big-play threat at Tennessee.

These rookies join Jerome Ford, who has been the primary running back for the past two seasons. With the Browns ranked 29th in rushing yards last season, there are plenty of opportunities for the running backs in Cleveland’s backfield.

“I think this is the model of the league, the best way it works with the running backs,” Sampson said during rookie minicamp. “It’s a long season, so you want as many people as you can to come in and split the reps and do well for the team. That keeps everyone fresh. You see it all over the league, and I think we have the opportunity to do it here.”

Dylan Sampson

Receivers

The Browns begin OTAs with an inexperienced receiving group, with the exception of Jerry Jeudy, who had an outstanding season in 2024 with 1,229 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Elijah Moore, second on the team in receptions last season, signed with the Buffalo Bills. Cleveland signed Diontae Johnson, but the veteran receiver hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2021.

At his best, Johnson is one of the best route runners in the NFL. The Browns value good route runners and Johnson could fill a necessary void. Young receivers like Cedric Tillman and Jamari Thrash will have opportunities to take on bigger roles, but Johnson and Jeudy are the only receivers on the roster who have caught at least 50 passes in a season.

“His ability to run routes, his ability to separate, drop his weight in and out of routes, is special,” Pickett said about Johnson, whom he played with in Pittsburgh. “So I’m excited to get back out there with him.”

Kenny Pickett

Closed Wing

David Njoku, in his ninth season in Cleveland, looks to bounce back after injuries limited him to 11 games. The Browns could implement more two-tight end formations in 2025, and they have the personnel to do so after selecting Harold Fannin Jr. in the third round, who led all FBS receivers in receptions and receiving yards in 2024. Berry described Fannin as the “queen on the chessboard” due to her ability to align in multiple positions. “She’s a really good player with the ball in her hand, she can separate as a receiver despite being a little small,” Berry said. “She’s a really good move-style blocker, and she fits perfectly in terms of what Kevin and Tommy want to do philosophically on offense.”

Offensive Line

Despite the problems and injuries that affected the offensive line in 2024, the Browns chose not to make significant changes to this group. Joel Bitonio announced his return for his twelfth season in the NFL, and the team agreed with Jack Conklin on a restructured contract that will keep him in Cleveland for the 2025 season. Ethan Pocic and Wyatt Teller also return for another year, and Dawand Jones, who took over as left tackle before a season-ending leg injury and then offseason knee arthroscopic surgery, returned to practice on Wednesday.

The Browns also added experienced depth in Cornelius Lucas and Teven Jenkins.

After the 2024 season, several Browns offensive linemen advocated for a return to Stefanski’s run scheme, from which the team deviated in an attempt to build an offensive system around quarterback Deshaun Watson. With more familiarity with Stefanski’s scheme and better health, the Browns’ hope is to get a more consistent game from a unit that has been the anchor of the offense for several years.