Browns: 3 positives amid a rough start to the season

The Cleveland Browns were widely expected to have a difficult time of it in 2025, especially given a tough early slate of games.

Two weeks into the season, those expectations are coming through after a close loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener, followed by another long day against the Baltimore Ravens.

Now, with the undefeated Green Bay Packers coming to town for a Week 3 meeting, followed by a road game against the Detroit Lions and a trip to London to face the Minnesota Vikings, the situation may not improve any time soon.

Still, even at 0-2, there are some positives to take from the first two weeks about the Browns, and here are three of them.

The Defense

Cleveland’s defense has held its own in the first two games, at times playing the way it did in 2023 when it helped the Browns make the playoffs.

So far, the defense has:

• Held Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow to 113 passing yards, and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to a combined five receptions for 59 yards.
• Limited the Bengals to just seven yards of offense in the second half.
• Held Baltimore running back Derrick Henry to 23 rushing yards.
• Allowed just 91 rushing yards and 2.07 yards per carry.
• Limited the Bengals and Ravens to just 38.5 percent on third downs.
• Extended their streak to 30 games without allowing a 300-yard passer, the longest current streak in the NFL.

There are still issues in the secondary, especially if cornerback Denzel Ward is not on the field. But defensive end Myles Garrett is putting in his case for Defensive Player of the Year honors, and rookies Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger have injected some much-needed energy and talent, which leaves the defense as a unit worth paying attention to when it is on the field.

Tight end Harold Fannin Jr.

Cleveland’s wide receivers are off to a rough start, but rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. has quickly become a favorite target of quarterback Joe Flacco.

Fannin currently leads the Browns in receptions (12), has caught five of those passes for first downs, and is second in receiving yards (111). His seven catches in Week 1 tied an NFL record for most receptions by a rookie tight end.

Not bad for a third-round draft pick who only began playing tight end in 2022.

The Rookie Backfield

The quarterbacks gained the majority of the attention during the summer – did you know the Browns had six quarterbacks on the roster at one point? – but it is the rebuilt running back room that has been pulling its weight through the first two games.

Dylan Sampson is second on the team in receptions with 11, and has 112 combined rushing/receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.

Quinshon Judkins made his season debut against the Ravens and rushed for 61 yards on 10 carries, including the longest run by a Cleveland running...