It's always a good time for wild predictions about how the Cleveland Browns 2025 season will shape up to be.
That's especially so since there's so much still up in the air about what the team will look like by next fall - who will the quarterback be, who will the Browns take second overall and subsequently play in Week 1, and how will the team be constructed to support whoever they have in the pocket.
With so much to think about, it's always fun to see just how much fans and spectators of the team are able to speculate about without sounding too exaggerative. Ken Carman, who talks all things Browns for 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, shared to social media his own speculation about the Browns headed into 2025 based on a converation had with Jason Lloyd, a reporter with The Athletic.
Ken Carman offers prediction about Browns next 1-2 quarterback punch
Carman told his followers on Twitter/X that, given the conversation he had with Lloyd about the Browns plans to let head coach Kevin Stefanski have a huge say in who they take at quarterback in the offseason, he could confidently offer a prediction about what two quarterbacks the Browns will be starting out with in 2025.
So from what @ByJasonLloyd just told us about Stefanski having the say, I'm just going to guess now on 1/16:
— Ken Carman (@KenCarman) January 16, 2025
Cousins starts the season,
Jaxson Dart finishes it.
Kirk Cousins has been linked to the Browns for one reason - Stefanski. He was the former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with the Minnesota Vikings while Cousins was the quarterback there, and while Cousins had some of the best play of his career. It makes sense that, given Cousins is likely to be cut by the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, he'd be someone viewed as a fit for the Browns.
Read more: Browns preference at QB in 2025 NFL Draft becoming clear with Tommy Rees hire
As for Dart, he's just one of several developmental quarterbacks that Cleveland is likely to take a look at ahead of the NFL Draft. He has a great arm and clearly has traits of an excellent quarterback, but he struggled against high-caliber defenses in his college career. That's something that could be coached up, though, so he would make for a great backup behind Cousins in Cleveland.
Labelled a "steal" by an anonymous NFL scout, Dart can likely be had in the third round of the draft, where the Browns have two picks.
Carman's prediction isn't too far fetched. Stefanski works best with quarterbacks like Joe Flacco, who can move the ball downfield and operate in the pocket. As Cousins isn't a very mobile quarterback, and with his chemistry already established with Stefanski, it makes sense to imagine a world where he starts 2025 with the Browns on a cheap deal.