Coaching Staff
- Head Coach: Kevin Stefanski
- Offensive Coordinator: Tommy Rees
- Defensive Coordinator: Jim Schwartz
- Special Teams Coordinator: Bubba Ventrone
Key Additions
- QB Joe Flacco
- QB Dillon Gabriel (3rd Round, 94th Overall)
- QB Shedeur Sanders (5th Round, 144th Overall)
- RB Quinshon Judkins (2nd Round, 36th Overall)
- RB Dylan Sampson (4th Round, 126th Overall)
- TE Harold Fannin (3rd Round, 67th Overall)
- G Teven Jenkins
- T Cornelius Lucas
- DL Maliek Collins
- DL Mason Graham (1st Round, 5th Overall)
- EDGE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
- LB Carson Schwesinger (2nd Round, 33rd Overall)
- LB Jerome Baker
- S Rayshawn Jenkins
- S Damontae Kazee
Key Losses
- QB Jameis Winston
- RB Nick Chubb
- WR Elijah Moore
- TE Jordan Akins
- LT Germain Ifedi
- DL Dalvin Tomlinson
- S Rodney McLeod
- S Juan Thornhill
The Browns in 2024
The 2024 season was a nightmare for the Cleveland Browns, who stumbled to a 3–14 finish and landed at the bottom of the AFC North. Head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry entered the year with playoff aspirations, but those quickly unraveled. The season turned when quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, forcing backup Jameis Winston into action.
Winston showed flashes of his trademark aggressiveness but never provided stability, throwing for 2,121
yards with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions before being benched late in the year. Without Watson and with Winston’s inconsistency, the Browns’ offense completely collapsed.
For 2025, Joe Flacco is back in the mix, and the last time he led the Browns (in 2023) they made the playoffs. His backups are Dillon Gabriel (QB2) and Shedeur Sanders (QB3).
The running game offered little relief last season. Star running back Nick Chubb suffered a broken foot midway through the year, and his absence was devastating. In eight games, Chubb mustered just 332 rushing yards on 102 carries (3.3 yards per attempt) with three touchdowns, his lowest output in years. After his injury, the ground attack sputtered further, leaving the team one-dimensional and ineffective.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was one of the few bright spots, leading the team in receiving and earning a Pro Bowl nod. Other standouts such as defensive end Myles Garrett, cornerback Denzel Ward, and guard Joel Bitonio also represented the team at the Pro Bowl, but individual accolades did little to offset a season defined by dysfunction.
Advanced metrics underline just how poor the 2024 Browns were offensively. Using RBSDM’s efficiency models, Cleveland ranked last in the league in both offensive EPA per play (–0.179) and offensive success rate (37.1%). The passing game was plagued by inefficiency, as evidenced by the team’s sub-60% completion percentage and frequent turnovers, while the run game cratered without Chubb.
The offense consistently found itself behind schedule and unable to sustain drives, forcing the defense into difficult positions. Through two weeks in 2025 so far, the Browns offense is 30th in EPA per play.
Defensively, the Browns regressed significantly from their dominant 2023 form. While the unit still featured elite talent in Garrett and Ward, inconsistency and injuries eroded its effectiveness. Cleveland allowed an average of 228 passing yards per game and too often failed to deliver in high-leverage situations such as third downs and red-zone stands.
2025 So Far
In 2025, the Browns’ defense ranks 16th in EPA/play with an 8th-ranked run defense. Acme Packing Company’s Justis Mosqueda has more on two weeks’ worth of Browns defense here.
Turnover production also declined, limiting their ability to swing games in their favor. Although full defensive efficiency numbers from RBSDM were not available, the eye test and traditional metrics both pointed toward a group that was no longer capable of carrying the roster through offensive struggles.
Beyond the on-field disappointment, the Browns became the center of one of the draft’s biggest storylines. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders entered the process with stellar college production, throwing for over 4,100 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while completing 74% of his passes. Despite those numbers, Sanders slipped to the fifth round, where the Browns selected him at pick 144.
Analysts widely expected him to go much earlier, but questions about his arm strength, mobility, sack avoidance, and decision to skip the NFL Combine damaged his stock. Some teams were understandably wary of his personality and the strong presence of his father, Deion Sanders, which fueled the controversy. His dramatic slide was one of the draft’s most debated topics, and the Browns now view him as a developmental option with long-term upside.
The 2024 season ultimately exposed deep flaws in Cleveland’s roster and structure. A fragile quarterback situation, lack of offensive depth, and a regressing defense combined to produce one of the league’s worst teams.
The Browns are currently 0-2 heading into week three but they entered 2025 with Myles Garrett still anchoring the defense, Jeudy proving he can be a primary target, and the intriguing additions of Gabriel and Sanders as developmental quarterbacks. The front office still faces urgent questions about Watson’s health, the offensive line’s decline, and whether Stefanski remains the right coach to guide a franchise desperate for stability.
