The Cleveland Browns have arguably more to manage in the final weeks of the offseason than any other team in the league. The team's quarterback battle has been widely publicized, but there are several other roster questions that General Manager Andrew Berry must address before Aug. 26. Given their current positioning, the Browns will inevitably release a few notable names during their 2025 final roster cuts.
The Browns' biggest roster questions come from the top, where they have kept four quarterbacks on virtually even ground throughout the offseason. Cleveland recently answered one question by officially naming Joe Flacco its Week 1 starter, but the rest of the depth chart remains up in the air.
Although rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel receive all the attention, Kenny Pickett continues to be the biggest wild card of the group after missing the entire preseason with a hamstring injury. Almost no team keeps four quarterbacks on its active roster, likely leaving one of Sanders, Gabriel or Pickett without a job in the next week.
Aside from quarterback, the Browns have at least one question at nearly every other position on their 2025 roster. Injuries continue to plague the team, with three potential starters likely beginning the year on the physically unable to perform list. Quinshon Judkins and Devin Bush have not made matters any better by causing legal trouble that lingered throughout the offseason.
After mending its general perception under head coach Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland took a significant step back with a 3-14 season in 2024. They find themselves in a familiar position of being forced to rebuild, making the 2025 season a crucial turning point for all involved. The Browns may be forced to make a few unexpected cuts to finalize their 2025 roster.
QB Kenny Pickett
Despite reports that the Browns are content with keeping all four quarterbacks, one of them will likely receive the axe. Flacco is locked in as the QB1, and Gabriel and Sanders have both done more than enough to warrant roster spots. Unfortunately for Kenny Pickett, his injury might have pushed him to the back of the line.
Through the chaos of the quarterback battle, it is easy to forget that the Browns relinquished draft capital to acquire Pickett in March. Teams rarely release players they traded for just months before.
However, not even the Browns could have predicted how the 2025 NFL Draft would play out. They entered the process determined to leave with a quarterback, but could not have expected to find themselves taking Sanders in the fifth round. The shocking turn of events changed nearly everything about how Cleveland approached its offseason quarterback situation.
At face value, the battle has been a four-man race. But with the way it has unfolded, it has essentially been a tale of two separate competitions. The Browns never seemed to consider starting either rookie in Week 1, holding Flacco and Pickett to a separate standard from Gabriel and Sanders.
In any other situation, Sanders would be just as much on the chopping block as a fifth-round pick. Dozens of day three picks are cut every year, but Sanders is clearly an exception. As arguably the most-hyped fifth-round pick in NFL history, Sanders has looked more like the first-round talent he was touted as throughout the preseason than the player he was drafted as. Releasing him at this point would almost confirm the blackballing rumors and potentially cause a mutiny from fans.
Unless Cleveland actually keeps four quarterbacks, Pickett is clearly the odd man out. The Browns would likely prefer to trade him at this point, but he seems more likely to get cut than make the final 2025 roster.
DT Shelby Harris
Fans are understandably enthralled with the quarterback situation, but the Browns' defense is potentially a more critical area to monitor. Only six of Cleveland's 11 projected starters return to the team from 2024.
Injuries have been an issue, with leading tackler Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and former first-round pick Mike Hall beginning the year on the PUP list. However, the team has also overhauled several positions. The Browns' front-seven will look notably different in 2025 with four new starters joining the Myles Garrett-led group up front.
Cleveland most notably upgraded its interior defensive line. Berry selected Mason Graham with the No. 5 pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, pairing him with free agent signee Maliek Collins. The new tandem creates an intriguing wrinkle to Jim Schwartz's defense, but leaves veteran Shelby Harris in a state of limbo.
Harris, who turned 34 in early August, started 13 games in 2024, recording 37 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He was one of the team's few consistent defenders, but he is no longer capable of climbing a depth chart. Harris will be there as injury insurance, but the Browns should not rely on him as a full-time starter anymore.
Once Hall returns, Harris will be the fourth man of the rotation at best. Hall has not been cleared since suffering a knee injury in the 2024 season finale, but he has returned to practice for individual drills. Cleveland said all offseason it expected him to be ready by Week 1. If that is the case, Hall's return would bump Harris down yet another notch.
After everything he did for them in 2024, the Browns certainly see value in keeping Harris on their 2025 roster. But if push comes to shove, he is an expendable player at a position where they are not short on options.
RB Pierre Strong Jr.
For as much attention as the Browns' quarterback room receives, the team has a similar situation in the backfield. Cleveland has three veteran running backs — Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr. and Trayveon Williams — likely competing for two spots to join rookies Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson on the roster.
Unlike the quarterback situation, Ford returns as the group's clear leader. He started only six games in 2024, but led the team with 565 rushing yards at 5.4 yards per carry. Ford is also just two years removed from a career-high 813 rushing yards in 2023. Although nowhere near Pro Bowl-level, Ford has been a consistent presence in the backfield for two years.
The Browns opted not to re-sign Chubb, but Strong returned from the three-man rotation. Like Ford, Strong is preparing for his third season with the team. He has just one start since getting traded to Cleveland in 2023, but has been an effective change-of-pace option.
Cleveland lists Ford, Strong, Judkins and Sampson as its top four running backs — the corps that fans expect to see in Week 1. However, while that is the most likely outcome, the Browns could end up keeping Williams over Strong.
Williams is not a game-changer, but he has consistently proven effective in a third-string role throughout his career. The 27-year-old spent his first six years with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he carved out a role on special teams. His best trait is arguably as a returner, as he averages 22.5 yards per kick return since 2022.
Strong has also doubled as a kick returner, but he has just 24 returns in his three-year career. Under the new format, Williams' volume declined in 2024. Regardless, he is a much more natural and experienced returner than Strong. Williams also contributed on special teams in college, where he was Texas A&M's primary return specialist.
When it comes to third or fourth-string running backs, those minor details matter. If Stefanski sees value from that perspective, the Browns could part ways with Strong during their 2025 final roster cuts.
