ClutchPoints
Every NFL offseason brings change. New blood. Fresh energy. In Cleveland, though, the changes taking shape in 2025 feel more like a potential overhaul. From the most important position on the field to key offensive contributors, the Browns aren’t just tweaking. They seem to be setting the stage for a generational shift. And the message is clear: no veteran’s role is safe.
Whether you’re a quarterback with a Super Bowl pedigree, a former first-round tight end, or a productive young runner, Cleveland’s 2025 rookie class is coming for snaps. They actually have a pretty deep, talent-rich roster that desperately wants to take the next step. These battles won’t just shape training camp—they’ll define the Browns’ season.
The defining question of Cleveland’s offseason is painfully simple: Who is the starting quarterback?
After another up-and-down campaign in 2024, the Browns opted to flood the position room with options. The result? A four-way quarterback competition that’s as wide open as it is unconventional. Forty-year-old Joe Flacco is somehow taking first-team reps again. Kenny Pickett is searching for redemption. Rookie Dillon Gabriel brings mobility and moxie as a college star looking to defy size concerns. Of course, there’s Shedeur Sanders. He was once projected to be a top-10 pick, but he is now Cleveland’s high-upside fifth-round swing.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski isn’t rushing to crown anyone.
“We’re maximizing reps for all four guys,” he told team media. “Whether live or mental, we’re watching how they operate under pressure, how they process and execute.”
To that end, the Browns are literally running two sets of drills on separate fields just to give each quarterback equal opportunities. It’s unique. It’s chaotic. And it might just be brilliant. Because out of this four-headed race, a new era of Browns football could be born.
Here we’ll try to look at the Cleveland Browns veteran players whose roles will be pushed by rookies in the 2025 NFL season.
If there’s one player whose mere presence symbolizes a coming change, it’s Sanders.
At one point considered a sure-fire first-round pick, Sanders fell to Day 3 in what became one of the most talked-about storylines of the 2025 NFL Draft. Now in Cleveland, he’s no ordinary fifth-rounder. He’s a dual-threat passer with high football IQ, leadership experience, and an enormous chip on his shoulder.
For Pickett and Flacco, that’s bad news.
Pickett has shown flashes but has yet to prove he can be a reliable starter. Flacco, for all his veteran savvy and gutsy 2023 revival, is 40 years old and realistically on borrowed time. Sure, both have the experience edge. However, neither has the long-term upside that Sanders brings.
And that’s what makes this so compelling.
Sanders doesn’t have to win the job in Week 1. Still, if he consistently outshines Pickett in mental reps, shows better accuracy than Gabriel, and proves he can lead an offense, the Browns will have no reason to keep him on the bench all...
