ClutchPoints
The Cleveland Browns enter 2025 with two years of offensive experiments centered on Deshaun Watson yielding more confusion than clarity. Now, though, a fresh, if familiar, direction awaits. This season, Cleveland has no choice but to reinvent itself. They should do it not with a revolutionary system, but with a return to the roots of Kevin Stefanski’s philosophy. Somewhere in the uncertainty of new quarterbacks, new backfield pieces, and an urgent need to prove last year’s regression was a blip rather than a blueprint, lies one surprising rookie who could hold the keys to everything.
Can a return to Stefanski’s roots breathe life back into Cleveland’s offense? After two seasons spent redesigning everything around Watson, who is still sidelined following a setback in his Achilles rehab, the Browns are pivoting back to the system Stefanski trusted in his first three years on the job. That means a renewed emphasis on the ground game and play-action. The scheme is familiar, but the bigger question looms: does this roster have the right pieces to make it work?
This summer, competition will be fierce. Four new quarterbacks have been brought in to battle for the starting job, while rookies Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson headline a revamped backfield expected to carry much of the load. Rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr could see early action as well. Beyond that, someone needs to emerge at wide receiver alongside Jerry Jeudy. He’s one of just two Browns wideouts who has ever caught 50 passes in a season. In other words, this training camp isn’t just about naming a starter under center. It’s about rediscovering an offensive identity and proving these new pieces can pull it all together.
Here we’ll try to look at the surprising Cleveland Browns player who could make or break their 2025 NFL season.
In a summer dominated by the quarterback battle, the most important player in Cleveland’s 2025 season may be a rookie running back. Former Ohio State star and second-round pick Quinshon Judkins enters Berea with expectations that border on enormous. He’s the presumed successor to Nick Chubb, the legendary back who defined this franchise’s offensive ethos for years.
Sure, the Browns will have a new starting quarterback in Week 1. However, Cleveland is also returning to the scheme Stefanski has trusted most. That’s a run-first approach that controls tempo and hides offensive deficiencies. It’s a system that demands a bell cow. Together with Jerome Ford, Judkins will step into a spotlight that many rookies never see so soon.
The Browns’ 2024 running game was an outright liability. They finished 29th in the NFL at just 94.6 rushing yards per game. The unit lacked explosion, consistency, and most importantly, health. Chubb’s much-heralded comeback was valiant but ultimately unsustainable. It got cut short by a foot injury and signaled the end of his tenure in Cleveland. That exit left a crater in the backfield. Kareem...
