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The Cleveland Browns enter 2025 with two years of offensive experiments centered on Deshaun Watson yielding more confusion than clarity. Now, though, a fresh, if familiar, direction awaits. This season, Cleveland has no choice but to reinvent itself. They should do it not with a revolutionary system, but with a return to the roots of Kevin Stefanski’s philosophy. Somewhere in the uncertainty of new quarterbacks, new backfield pieces, and an urgent need to prove last year’s regression was a blip rather than a blueprint, lies one surprising rookie who could hold the keys to everything.
Back to Stefanski Basics
Can a return to Stefanski’s roots breathe life back into Cleveland’s offense? After two seasons spent redesigning everything around Watson, who is still sidelined following a setback in his Achilles rehab, the Browns are pivoting back to the system Stefanski trusted in his first three years on the job. That means a renewed emphasis on the ground game and play-action. The scheme is familiar, but the bigger question looms: does this roster have the right pieces to make it work?
This summer, competition will be fierce. Four new quarterbacks have been brought in to battle for the starting job, while rookies Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson headline a revamped backfield expected to carry much of the load. Rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr could see early action as well. Beyond that, someone needs to emerge at wide receiver alongside Jerry Jeudy. He's one of just two Browns wideouts who has ever caught 50 passes in a season. In other words, this training camp isn’t just about naming a starter under center. It’s about rediscovering an offensive identity and proving these new pieces can pull it all together.
Here we'll try to look at the surprising Cleveland Browns player who could make or break their 2025 NFL season.
Rookie Could Make or Break the Browns
In a summer dominated by the quarterback battle, the most important player in Cleveland’s 2025 season may be a rookie running back. Former Ohio State star and second-round pick Quinshon Judkins enters Berea with expectations that border on enormous. He’s the presumed successor to Nick Chubb, the legendary back who defined this franchise’s offensive ethos for years.
Sure, the Browns will have a new starting quarterback in Week 1. However, Cleveland is also returning to the scheme Stefanski has trusted most. That's a run-first approach that controls tempo and hides offensive deficiencies. It’s a system that demands a bell cow. Together with Jerome Ford, Judkins will step into a spotlight that many rookies never see so soon.
Running Game
The Browns’ 2024 running game was an outright liability. They finished 29th in the NFL at just 94.6 rushing yards per game. The unit lacked explosion, consistency, and most importantly, health. Chubb’s much-heralded comeback was valiant but ultimately unsustainable. It got cut short by a foot injury and signaled the end of his tenure in Cleveland. That exit left a crater in the backfield. Kareem Hunt’s departure a year earlier had already removed a reliable secondary option. Ford was serviceable, but his production dipped from 813 rushing yards in 2023 to just under 570 yards in 2024. That left the team scrambling with practice-squad elevations and short-term fixes.
So the Browns went all-in on a rebuild, drafting Judkins and Tennessee’s Sampson to headline a revamped running back room. Sampson brings speed, but Judkins is the centerpiece. He's a bruising, patient runner with a knack for wearing down defenses. The Browns don’t need him to be Chubb. They need him to be Judkins and quickly.
Why Judkins Holds the Keys
The formula is simple but unforgiving: if Judkins thrives, the Browns can mask their quarterback issues long enough to grind out wins. If he falters, everything else collapses. This team cannot afford another season ranked in the bottom five of rushing offenses. That's especially not with its passing game in flux and Watson’s future uncertain.
Judkins is a natural fit for the zone-heavy concepts Stefanski prefers. His ability to read blocks and accelerate through narrow lanes could breathe life into an offensive line that, despite some injuries last year, remains one of the team’s strongest units. If Judkins establishes himself early, defenses will have to respect Cleveland’s ground game again. That could open up opportunities for play-action and take the heat off whichever quarterback wins the job.
Of course, the challenge is enormous. NFL defenses will key on him from the first snap. The learning curve for rookie running backs, while often shorter than for other positions, still demands mental toughness and durability. Judkins will need to show he can handle pass protection and catch the ball out of the backfield. He should also stay on the field for all three downs.
As of this writing, though, all that is up in the air, given the latest developments on Judkins' off-the-field issues.
A Season Hinges on a Rookie
Cleveland is counting on Judkins in a way that few franchises count on a rookie. He doesn’t just need to be good; he needs to be transformative. This is a team with a playoff-caliber defense, but one that’s been dragged down by offensive inconsistency.
In many ways, Judkins is stepping into a vacuum of hope. Fans who still remember the Chubb era fondly now look to a new No. 1 to restore that same balance. The future of the 2025 Browns offense depends on whether he can deliver on that promise.
The Browns are trying to turn back the clock on their scheme, but their future runs forward through a 21-year-old rookie. If he hits, Cleveland could surprise the league. If he doesn’t, 2025 might just be another year of what-ifs.
