The Cleveland Browns had another long, and ultimately disappointing, calendar year in 2025.
The year began with a loss to the Baltimore Ravens on January 4 to close out a 3-14 season. It ended this past Sunday with the latest defeat of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cleveland.
In between, there was continued speculation about the fate of quarterback Deshaun Watson, free agency, draft day trades that resulted in a group of productive rookies, a pair of not-so-productive rookie quarterbacks, training camp,
and a regular season filled with more losses, more outside noise, and more cries for change in 2026.
Dawgs By Nature was there for every part of it, bringing the news to our dedicated and growing community of readers. To close out the year, here is a retrospective of what happened with the Browns as told by the most-clicked on stories for each month of 2025.
January: 2025 NFL Draft comes into focus
General manager Andrew Berry moved on from a couple of veteran players during the 2024 season, including a trade that sent wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a draft pick. Once the Bills lost in the AFC Championship Game, the Browns knew the trade had netted them their fourth selection in the Top 100 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. (Read the full story here.)
February: Does Myles Garrett want out?
As the NFL closed out the season with the Philadelphia Eagles defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, eyes were on Cleveland as Myles Garrett, the league’s best defensive player, was telling anyone with a microphone that he wanted to be traded. As speculation swirled about whether or not the Browns would actually trade their best player, a hypothetical trade with the Chicago Bears involving a pair of first-round draft picks caught everyone’s attention. (Read the full story here.)
March: Free agency arrives
The start of free agency brought the news that the Browns and Myles Garrett had worked out a contract extension. The club had a list of its own free agents to consider, including running back Nick Chubb and offensive tackle Jedrick Wills, and was linked to the annual list of available quarterbacks. While the Browns did not make a “splash signing,” we still had all the rumors and signings in our live blog of the opening days of free agency. (Read the full story here.)
April: How about those UDFAs!
General manager Andrew Berry was busy as always during the 2025 NFL Draft, making a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars to pocket a second first-round pick in 2026, selecting a rookie class of Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins, Carson Schwesinger, and Harold Fannin Jr. that has quickly paid dividends, and, of course, setting off a season-long firestorm with the drafting of quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. But it was Berry’s work immediately following the draft, when the Browns brought in a fresh batch of undrafted free agents, that caught the attention of fans. (Read the full story here.)
May: Another milestone in the Kenny Pickett era
The Browns made a minor deal in March when they traded quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson to the Philadelphia Eagles for former first-round quarterback Kenny Pickett. Despite a narrative that the Browns actually wanted Pickett to be the starter, they ended up trading him to the Las Vegas Raiders at the end of August for a fifth-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. The signs that they didn’t really love Pickett were there when the reports started that they were declining to pick up his fifth-year option. (Read the full story here.)
June: Farewell, Andre Szmyt. For now.
The month of June is the only real slow time on the NFL calendar. The draft and free agency are complete. Teams are finishing up OTAs and preparing for a few weeks off before the start of training camps in July. So the news that the Browns were making a minor transaction by waiving kicker Andre Szmyt so they could sign wide receiver Jaelen Gill was more popular than expected. And while Szmyt had left the building, his name would soon become one that Browns fans know very well. (Read the full story here.)
July: The Deshaun Watson era drags along
With training camp set to open, the Browns made a few roster moves, including placing quarterback Deshaun Watson on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list. Watson was still recovering from the Achilles injury he suffered against the Baltimore Ravens in 2024, which he re-injured in January. The move would not be the last involving Watson this year, as there was season-long speculation that he would see the field before the final game, which ultimately did not happen. But the clock continued to tick down on Watson’s time in Cleveland on this day in late July. (Read the full story here.)
August: A tale of two quarterbacks
The month of August brings with it training camp battles and the start of the preseason. The Browns entered training camp with a bevy of quarterbacks after signing Joe Flacco in free agency to join Pickett, Gabriel, and Sanders in a four-way competition that shook Browns Town to its core. That may be a slight exaggeration, but fans and media were losing their minds about how the team was going to work it all out. These things have a way of working themselves out, as Pickett dealt with a hamstring injury through most of the summer, and one of the rookies was the center of attention on one particular practice day while dealing with a sore arm. Bet you can’t guess which one! (Read the full story here.)
September: Where in the world is Quinshon Judkins?
As the Browns began preparation for the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, everyone was wondering about the status of rookie running back Quinshon Judkins. The second-round selection had missed all of training camp and the preseason while dealing with an off-field legal issue, and remained unsigned just days before the first game. But a report that a deal was on the horizon provided Browns fans with some hope. (Read the full story here.)
October: The coaching rumors swirl
It only took until the midway point of the season for the torches and pitchforks to come out as the mob called for the Browns to fire head coach Kevin Stefanski. Cleveland was coming off a bad loss to the New England Patriots, and heading into the bye week, many decided the time was right to make a move. With that in mind, readers were keen to look over a list of potential candidates to lead the Browns back to glory. (Read the full story here.)
November: The best laid plans …
After a disappointing loss to the New York Jets that was fueled by a pair of special teams miscues and the defense’s inability to stop a Justin Fields-led offense when it mattered the most, the cries intensified for the Browns to bench quarterback Dillon Gabriel for Shedeur Sanders. The Browns had a plan, and they were sticking to it, at least for another week, as head coach Kevin Stefanski explained as Cleveland prepared to face the Baltimore Ravens. (Read the full story here.)
December: Still more coaching rumors
It is the final month of another disappointing season for the Cleveland Browns, which means it is time for visions of a new coach to dance in the minds of fans and media members alike. Usually, when those visions become true, they end with the head coach being fired. But what if the head coach actually has an exit strategy of his own in mind? (Read the full story here.)
That brings our retrospective to a close. Thank you to everyone for your support of Dawgs By Nature. We would not exist without our loyal readers, and we appreciate every one of you! Have a happy and safe New Year’s Eve!
