Cover photo taken from Cleveland Browns.
Welcome to 32 Teams in 32 Days, a daily series leading up to kickoff of the 2025 NFL season where I preview every team in the league as decided by a wheel spin and project what their season will look like. You can keep up with everything right here.
The late, great John Madden once said: “If you have two quarterbacks, you have none.” So, what happens when you have four? The Cleveland Browns are about to find out.
Last year did not go to plan. Coming off a playoff berth with a really solid 11-win campaign, the Browns completely crashed and burned in 2024 with a 3-14 record due to horrendous quarterback play. Juggling between Deshaun Watson — who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 7 — Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe went about as you’d expect. Cleveland’s offense ranked dead last in — checks notes — EPA/play, success rate, dropback EPA, dropback success rate and scoring. They were so bad at quarterback last year that their dropback EPA/play was over three times worse than the 31st-ranked Giants. The defense wasn’t bad, clocking in at 18th in EPA/play and sixth in success rate, but nothing can overcome that poor of an offense.
So, the Browns entered the offseason in desperate need of a quarterback, considering their $230 million investment in Watson somehow got more embarrassing. Just when you thought Joe Flacco wasn’t walking through that door, he shows back up in Cleveland after leading them to the playoffs in 2023 and winning Comeback Player of the Year. But, every veteran needs some good competition behind him, especially when he’s coming off a subpar season in Indianapolis. So, the Browns also brought in Kenny Pickett, now on his third team in as many years after spending last season backing up Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia.
Okay, two quarterbacks who are not exactly the answer. How do we improve this situation? Well, through the draft of course! It’s the third round and we’re on the clock, let’s shoot our shot at a potential franchise guy in… Dillon Gabriel? But Shedeur Sanders was right there! No matter, we can develop Gabriel into the next Tua!
Wait a second — it’s now the fifth round and Sanders is still there? Screw it, let’s take him too! We could use the media circus! Why not let it fly?
So, here we are. Flacco. Pickett. Gabriel. Sanders. Four quarterbacks. No quarterbacks. No solid options. No direction. No future. Same old Cleveland.
The good news for the offense? Jerry Jeudy has emerged as a WR1 and the offensive line remains a strength. But the lack of a true RB1 after Nick Chubb’s time came to a close could hold them back even more. Jerome Ford is a solid option, but with rookie Quinshon Judkins dealing with legal troubles and still being the lone 2025 draftee to remain unsigned, he can’t shoulder everything alone. I guess taking a second back in Dylan Sampson worked out after all. Gosh, this franchise was lost in April’s draft.
At least the defense is still solid. Myles Garrett wound up signing a massive four-year, $160 million extension after flirting with a trade, a trade down from the No. 2 to No. 5 pick in the draft netted standout DT Mason Graham from Michigan — and a first-rounder in 2026, which could be significant! — and Denzel Ward remains a super solid No. 1 corner. I also liked the second-round selection of Carson Schwesinger from UCLA, who could be an excellent complement to Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah. Together, they could be a top-tier linebacker duo. Jim Schwartz knows what to do with this defense. They were fifth in pass rush win rate and first in run stop win rate, after all.
And, at the end of the day, Kevin Stefanski can coach the hell out of a football team. He’s got an awful situation on offense, but his leash is long enough that he’ll have a couple of years to figure this thing out. If the Browns move off him after this disaster of a season that’s about to unfold, it’d be a disgrace.
X-Factor: Whoever Starts At QB
Let’s get two things out of the way. First, Flacco will start the season under center in Cleveland. He won’t start all 17 games, but he will be their guy for the first month or so before giving way to one of the rookies. Second, the Browns obviously aren’t contending for anything this season, so this X-factor isn’t exactly going to be the key to success. It’s more of seeing what you have and taking stock of that. I don’t have high hopes for either rookie; Gabriel is undersized with a weak arm and Sanders has the talent, but perhaps lacks the maturity and mental to succeed in this league. Cleveland is probably in a position where they’ll be drafting a quarterback early in the 2026 Draft. But maybe, just maybe, it’s one of the rooks who gets the nod instead.
Team MVP: EDGE Myles Garrett
Garrett deserved the bag, but I almost feel bad that he’s staying in Cleveland. Yes, loyalty is great, but this dude deserves to win (for who he is on the field, not necessarily off it). I contend that he’s the best defensive player in football, which is a touchy subject for Steeler fans, but I won’t budge on that take. This dude has been first-team All-Pro four of the last five years, has seven straight years of 10-plus sacks — including 14+ in the last four! — and is just an absolute force of a man. He might be the best edge rusher I’ve ever seen. As such, he’s the epitome of the Bugatti in the run-down house meme. Because no matter how amazing he is, there’s nothing he can do to fix this franchise.
Breakout Candidate: DT Mason Graham
Graham was an absolute stud at Michigan and is one of the better tackle prospects we’ve seen in recent years. If it wasn’t for Jalen Carter, he’d probably be the best DT we’ve seen enter the league this decade. There’s only so much that a tackle can do to make an instant impact, but the potential is sky high for a kid who’s good enough to go in the top five. With Garrett demanding so much attention, I imagine he’ll be much more effective as a pass rusher than he was at Michigan. But, in any case, he’ll be a force in the middle of the line that AFC North guard-center-guard combos will have to deal with for many years to come.
Record Prediction: 3-14
It’s going to be a circus. Regardless of who’s under center, this thing is going to be a disaster. When Sanders isn’t playing, the media will clamor for him. When he does play and underperforms, the heat is going to be scorching. If Gabriel gets a shot and plays poorly, the front office will be torn into. By the end of the season, the Browns will have started their 41st, 42nd and 43rd different QBs since 1999. That’s freaking insane. Considering the circumstance, I don’t think a lot of jobs are on the line — I already said Stefanski should be safe, and I think GM Andrew Berry is too. Things are going to get worse in Cleveland before they get better. This is a very rough, treacherous first step towards a hopefully brighter future.
You know what? It’s Cleveland. Who am I kidding?
Next up: 
Indianapolis Colts
Raza Talks Sports 
