Dawgs By Nature
Where winning and developing Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and the rest of the young guys intersect for Browns
We now know the Cleveland Browns 2025 NFL schedule. Our coverage includes a primer for all 14 teams the Browns will face this season, with all of the changes made to the roster, history of the matchup, and big changes for each team. What we do not know is what the point of the season is for the franchise.
We know the schedule starts tough, and a look at Cleveland’s 90-man roster, including wide-ranging grades, says that the Browns may not win a lot of games. Many readers will quickly note that “winning is all that matters,” but the nuance behind that statement, especially for the 2025 season in Cleveland, is vital.
Yes, of course. The Browns will do everything in their power to win games in 2025, but that doesn’t mean it is the only objective. HC Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry are charged with doing what is best for the franchise, not just what is best for 2025. If QB Joe Flacco or QB Kenny Pickett give the team the best chance to win this season, but if it is marginal, one of QB Dillon Gabriel or QB Shedeur Sanders getting a chance to develop will probably get the starting nod.
If Stefanski and Berry believe they are on the hot seat, something we have pushed back against, they may feel pressure to focus on this season instead of what is best for the team. Neither should accept losing but, especially given the difficult start to the year, developing the young players on the roster has to be a priority.
No, of course not.
Nothing is certain about the Browns two rookie quarterbacks, including whether either will be considered part of the team’s future after this season. A late third-round pick and a fifth-round selection are not certain for much more than likely to make a roster the first two or three years of their career.
If either/both Gabriel and Sanders show signs that they can be franchise quarterbacks, Cleveland will have two picks in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft to surround them with talent. If neither shows the upside as rookies (even if it is only in practice), the Browns will likely move forward with drafting a quarterback as high as possible in next year’s draft.
Simple: Recreate the foundation.
The last couple of seasons have been drug down by the decision to trade for QB Deshaun Watson and attempting to make things work around him. That decision tore through a team that, despite limitations, had created a foundation under Berry and Stefanski in the first couple of seasons in Cleveland.
Stefanski’s offense needs some modernization, but kicking everything to the curb to try to make...
