Browns: Where do the offensive players rank on PFF’s Top 32 lists?

The usual suspects are represented with one notable exception.

The Cleveland Browns fielded what was one of the historically worst offenses in the NFL in 2024.

It did not matter if it was Deshaun Watson, Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, or Bailey Zappe under center; the offense was a complete mess.

Related: Where do Browns defenders rank on PFF’s Top 32 lists?

Consider that by mid-December of last season:

• The Browns were last in EPA per play on offense with Watson for the first seven weeks of the season.
• The Browns were last in EPA per play on offense with Winston over the next seven weeks.
• The Browns’ EPA per play with Watson starting (-0.225) ranked 786th out of 798 teams since 2000 over the first seven games of a season, per TruMedia.
• Their EPA per play with Winston starting (-0.120) ranked 690th out of 798 teams over games 8-14 since 2000.
• The Browns failed to score 20 points in the seven games that Watson started.
• The Browns failed to score 20 points in four of the seven games that Winston started.

Cleveland heads into the 2025 season with a completely rebuilt quarterback room, which should help improve the situation. But even with better quarterback play, Cleveland still needs the rest of the offense to step up its game, which could be a tall order if the offensive rankings from Pro Football Focus hold true.

The analytics site ranked the Top 32 players at each position group, and in a few cases, the Browns are coming up short, starting with quarterback Joe Flacco, who checks in at No. 29:

As much as some Browns fans are excited about Joe Flacco’s return, the reality is he’s a 40-year-old stopgap. He can still deliver competent play and keep the offense on schedule, but he’s clearly a short-term solution until Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel is ready to take over.

The running game has fallen off without Nick Chubb the past two seasons, which led general manager Andrew Berry to select two running backs in this year’s NFL Draft. One of those backs, Quinshon Judkins, comes in at No. 27 in the rankings:

Judkins is just a rookie, which always makes it tricky to place a player appropriately ahead of a season. He will likely be the RB1 in Cleveland after earning PFF rushing grades of 88.2, 83.4, and 88.8 in his three seasons of college football.

Cleveland’s highest-rated skill player on offense is tight end David Njoku at No. 15:

After a breakout 2023 season in which he caught 88 passes for 975 yards, Njoku dealt with injuries and a shuffling quarterback room in Cleveland on his way to a career-low 64.0 PFF overall grade this past season. If he can stay healthy with stability at the quarterback position in 2025, expect the athletic big man to flirt with 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.

The Browns are reportedly planning to...