NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
The Cleveland Browns are clearly seeking a way back to relevance. They’re not too far from their playoff season, but they seem to be going in the wrong direction since then. They moved on from Baker Mayfield, and it’s been all downhill since. With that being said, 2025 should have some upside for them. What could we see in 2025?
Joe Flacco Starts Until Browns Are Eliminated
While the internet and social media might be having fun with memes, there’s very little chance the Browns bench Flacco. Unless he’s historically bad, Cleveland isn’t going to put their rookies through the gauntlet of their schedule to destroy their confidence. Shedeur Sanders might have had an impressive preseason, but he’s not going to unseat Flacco, or Joe wouldn’t have been named the starter so quickly. If Cleveland is competitive, there’s no reason to switch. If they’re not, there’s no reason to rush their rookies.
Shedeur Sanders Hits Practice Squad
The NFL clearly wanted to humble Shedeur Sanders. He was projected as a top pick or at least an early first-rounder. We all saw how that turned out as he was selected in the fifth round. He had a decent game in the preseason, but it’s not as if he has stood out above and beyond the rest of the rookies, including Dillion Gabriel. With that being said, I doubt the humbling of Shedeur Sanders is over. The likelihood of a team cutting a third-round pick playing just as well as their fifth-round pick.
It’s a pretty big gable for the Browns, but the chances of a team claiming Sanders before he hits the practice squad are slim. If teams were eying him, I doubt they’d keep passing on him in the draft. If they do, the Browns have Gabriel to develop. Cleveland can stash Sanders and make him earn his spot; they’ll sign him to the 53-man roster towards the end of the season to hype and build him up and hope he’s a baller next season.
Cleveland Rebounds In The Back Half of 2025
The idea that the Browns are going to come out swinging needs to be tempered down. They’ve got talent, but the likelihood they’ll all be on the same page is slim. It’ll be an interesting progression throughout the season. They could shock some teams early on, and they’ll more than likely shock towards the end of the season. With that being said, they have a very low ceiling. If they win 8, it’ll be considered a good season. They’re on the rise, but they’ll need to gel over time to work towards competitiveness.
The 2025 season probably won’t be the best for the Cleveland Browns, but there’s a lot of potential here if they can develop young talent. Is Cleveland moving in the right direction, or is this just another stall for a delayed reboot?
