Is Shedeur Sanders setup to win QB battle in Browns' new-look offense?

BEREA, Ohio -- After a 2024 play successful which the Cleveland Browns' discourtesy ranked past successful scoring and shuffled done 4 antithetic starting quarterbacks, the portion has been vastly reshaped successful the past respective months.

During that time, Cleveland fired violative coordinator Ken Dorsey and replaced him with Tommy Rees, hired a caller violative enactment manager successful Mike Bloomgren and utilized 5 of its 7 draught picks connected offense. And astir notably, Cleveland added 4 caller quarterbacks -- Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders -- to the presumption country this offseason.

The Browns' new-look discourtesy is opening to instrumentality signifier with the squad starting organized squad activities this week, and Cleveland's four-way backmost contention hovers implicit the full portion with the commencement of the NFL play little than 100 days away.

"It's Day 2 for us, truthful I deliberation everybody understands wherever they're expected to beryllium and erstwhile they're expected to beryllium there," manager Kevin Stefanski said aft signifier Wednesday. "There's a small spot of directing postulation erstwhile you've got 2 drills going connected astatine 1 time, but they've done a truly bully job. The players and coaches [are] making definite that we're practicing successful a harmless way. We're getting bully looks for our guys to larn from connected some sides of the shot and not asking much than we request to of the guys physically."

Here's a look astatine wherever each presumption radical stands successful the Browns' offense.

Quarterback

Wednesday's signifier offered the archetypal look astatine a imaginable pecking bid successful the Browns' backmost competition. During the astir 80-minute session, it was veterans Flacco and Pickett who divided the first-team reps successful squad drills. Gabriel and Sanders often followed the two, conducting enactment with backups and third-stringers. In an effort to maximize signifier reps for each player, the rookies astatine 1 constituent conducted 7-on-7 drills connected a abstracted tract from the veterans.

Flacco, who is entering his 18th NFL season, is the astir experienced of the group. He besides has familiarity with Stefanski's discourtesy aft spending the second information of the 2023 play with the Browns and helping pb them to the playoffs. But the Browns' decision-makers person said each backmost added to the country volition beryllium expected to compete, and they deliberation highly of each passer. General manager Andrew Berry said the squad sought retired Pickett, a 2020 first-round pick, arsenic a commercialized people successful the archetypal question of escaped agency. During the draught cycle, the squad was impressed with Gabriel, which led to the Browns picking him successful the 3rd round. And portion Gabriel was already connected board, Cleveland connected Day 3 saw the enactment of Sanders successful the 5th circular arsenic a imaginable bargain fixed his talent.

After Wednesday's practice, Stefanski again downplayed the value of the signifier rep bid and said it would proceed to alteration implicit the people of the offseason workout program.

"We're mixing it up each azygous day," Stefanski said. "So that's wherefore I archer you not to work overmuch into it, adjacent though you guys don't perceive to me. But we're conscionable trying to get guys vulnerability to antithetic concepts, those types of things. So, it varies by walkthrough. It tin alteration by drill. It's not thing that we're truly -- we're not leaning into oregon disquieted astir the bid astatine this moment."

Running back

With franchise large Nick Chubb (6,843 rushing yards and 51 full TDs implicit 7 seasons) improbable to instrumentality to Cleveland, the Browns' backfield volition look drastically antithetic successful 2025. Cleveland drafted a brace of moving backs successful Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson whose contrasting styles could signifier a 1-2 punch for years to come. Judkins was a carnal downhill runner who amassed 3,785 rushing yards and 44 TDs during his clip astatine Ole Miss and Ohio State, portion Sampson (1,491 rushing yards and 22 TDs successful 2024) was much of a big-play menace astatine Tennessee.

The 2 rookies articulation Jerome Ford (565 yards and 3 TDs successful 2024), who has filled successful arsenic the pb backmost implicit the past 2 seasons portion Chubb was sidelined to injury. With the Browns ranking 29th successful rushing yards past season, determination are plentifulness of carries up for grabs successful Cleveland's backfield.

"I deliberation this is the blueprint of the league, the champion mode it works with moving backs," Sampson said during rookie minicamp. "It's a agelong season, truthful you privation arsenic galore radical arsenic you tin to spell successful determination and divided reps and bash bully for the team. That keeps everybody fresh. You spot it each crossed the league, and I deliberation we person an accidental to bash that here."

Wide receiver

The Browns participate OTAs with an inexperienced wide receiver room, prevention for Jerry Jeudy, who broke retired with a Pro Bowl run successful 2024 with a career-high 1,229 receiving yards portion scoring 4 touchdowns. Elijah Moore, who ranked 2nd connected the squad successful catches past play (61), signed with the Buffalo Bills successful April. Cleveland had signed wide receiver Diontae Johnson 2 days before, but the seasoned walk catcher has not posted a 1,000-yard play since 2021, erstwhile helium was with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is besides coming disconnected a twelvemonth successful which helium spent clip with 3 antithetic teams and was released twice.

At his best, Johnson is 1 of the champion way runners successful the NFL. Since entering the league successful 2019, Johnson ranks archetypal successful ESPN's unfastened score, which assesses the likelihood that a receiver would beryllium capable to implicit a drawback if helium were targeted. The Browns covet beardown way runners and helium could capable a much-needed void other Jeudy. Young walk catchers specified arsenic third-year subordinate Cedric Tillman and second-year wideout Jamari Thrash volition person opportunities to carve retired larger roles, but the 2 person a combined 53 vocation catches. Johnson and Jeudy are the lone wide receivers connected the roster who person caught astatine slightest 50 passes successful a season.

"His route-running ability, his quality to separate, driblet his value successful and retired of routes, it's special," Pickett said of Johnson, whom helium played with successful Pittsburgh. "So, I'm excited to get backmost retired determination with him."

Tight end

Entering his ninth play successful Cleveland, David Njoku is looking to bounce backmost aft injuries constricted him to 11 games a twelvemonth aft his lone Pro Bowl run successful 2023. The Browns could look to tally much two-tight-end sets successful 2025 and person the unit to bash truthful aft drafting erstwhile Bowling Green standout Harold Fannin Jr. successful the 3rd circular aft starring each FBS walk catchers successful receptions (117) and receiving yards (1,555) successful 2024.

Berry called Fannin, the Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year, the "queen connected the chessboard" due to the fact that of his quality to enactment up astatine aggregate positions connected the field.

"He's a truly bully ball-in-hand player, tin abstracted arsenic a walk catcher contempt being a small spot undersized," Berry said. "He's truly a bully question benignant blocker, and helium fits perfectly successful presumption of what Kevin and Tommy privation to bash philosophically connected the offense."

Offensive line

Despite on-field struggles and injuries that derailed the violative enactment successful 2024, the Browns opted against large changes to the presumption group. Left defender Joel Bitonio announced his instrumentality for his 12th NFL season, and the squad agreed with close tackle Jack Conklin to a reworked declaration that volition support him successful Cleveland for the 2025 season. Center Ethan Pocic and close defender Wyatt Teller besides instrumentality for different twelvemonth with the team, and erstwhile 2023 fourth-round prime Dawand Jones, who took implicit astatine near tackle earlier a season-ending limb wounded and past arthroscopic genu country successful the offseason, was backmost astatine signifier Wednesday.

The Browns besides added experienced extent successful Cornelius Lucas and Teven Jenkins, who started 7 and 14 games past season, respectively.

After the 2024 season, aggregate Browns violative linemen advocated for a instrumentality to Stefanski's moving scheme, which the squad diverted from successful an effort to physique an violative strategy astir backmost Deshaun Watson. With much familiarity successful Stefanski's strategy and amended health, the Browns' anticipation is that they volition get much accordant play from a portion that has been the anchor of the discourtesy for respective years.