The Cleveland Browns are entering what will be a very difficult 2025 season, as the combination of their circus act of a quarterback competition and a very deep AFC North makes the Browns a team very few (if any) are projecting to do much of anything in the 2025 season.
Even if one of Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel emerges as someone who can help lead a franchise with their arm talent, everything about the Browns' current roster would suggest that they are not in a position to support their young quarterbacks. The supporting cast around these youngsters is laughable.
Pro Football Focus ranked the Browns dead last in their wide receiver room power rankings, noting that veteran Jerry Jeudy is the only player on this team who could strike any level of fear into an opposing defense. Beyond that, things are looking quite grim for Kevin Stefanski and this offense.
Behind Jeudy, who set career-best marks with 90 catches and over 1,200 yards despite a revolving door at quarterback, the depth chart consists of unproven youngsters and cheap veterans looking for one last chance to stick in the pros. No one will confuse this group with what their cross-state rival Bengals have.
Browns listed as worst wide receiver room in NFL by PFF
In 11 personnel, the favorites to earn a spot next to Jeudy are Cedric Tillman (who came on strong at the end of the 2024 season) and seldom-used second-year player Jamari Thrash. Last season, Thrash caught just three passes, which doesn't exactly scream WR3 material right off the page.
The Browns also took a chance on veteran Diontae Johnson, who was a productive player with the Steelers but had about as poor of a 2025 season as possible after being flipped between the Panthers, Ravens, and Texans. The ceiling is high, but the floor is underneath several layers of strata.
The one silver lining Cleveland has on the offensive side is that their new-look running back room of Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson should be exciting enough to give their offense a shot in the arm. However, if they're dropping back 40 times every game, it will be difficult to imagine a world in which they slice up opposing defenses.
2025 will be a retooling year for the Browns, as the entire goal of this campaign will be to evaluate young players like Sanders and Gabriel. While that is all well and good, getting a true hold on how effective they are could be difficult without any sort of quality pass-catchers alongside them.