Is Cleveland’s early start to free agency what we expected?
We are now several days into the 2025 NFL league, and the Cleveland Browns have made a handful of moves. When you look at the team’s updated depth chart that includes those moves, the team still has a bit of work to do.
The Biggest Move So Far
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By far, the biggest move for the Browns came on the eve of free agency, when they extended the contract of DE Myles Garrett, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Garrett pivoted from his stance that he wanted to be traded, and now believes in the direction the Browns are heading. I called Garrett’s bluff all along, and he gets more money along the way.
Garrett remaining with the team was important to maintain their attempt at defensive dominance. Cleveland was a great defensive team in 2023, before slipping quite a bit this past season — but Garrett remained consistent. Still, I do believe part of Garrett’s public outcry was to put pressure on the front office to focus on trying to contend in the immediate future, as opposed to trying a rebuild of sorts.
What Do We Have So Far?
So far, it has been a pretty pedestrian free agency period for the Browns. They:
- Signed a backup offensive tackle to take the place of James Hudson.
- Added a rotational edge rusher.
- Replaced Dalvin Tomlinson with a slightly younger and cheaper defensive tackle.
- Traded for a backup quarterback.
And that’s about it. Almost all of the Browns’ own free agents are still available on the open market, although they did bring one of them back in Devin Bush.
Depth is important, but none of those moves are going to take Cleveland from a 3-14 season to the postseason. And they certainly aren’t the type of moves that would have, theoretically, convinced Garrett to stay with Cleveland.
Questions to Answer
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Taking a closer look at that depth chart, quarterback remains the most important question mark on the team. Kirk Cousins isn’t being released by the Falcons, which introduces a bit of a curveball into that possible scenario. Russell Wilson came in for a visit, but that’s not moving the needle for fans. The guy who would move the needle, even if it’s blind optimism, is Joe Flacco — and Cleveland still seems to refuse to entertain the thought despite his magical run to close out the 2023 season.
If the Browns wait until the draft to address the quarterback position, one would have to think they are taking a quarterback at No. 2 overall. I’m much more interested in getting a stable veteran who head coach Kevin Stefanski can work with, and then taking Abdul Carter No. 2 overall.
Among the Browns’ own free agents, Nick Chubb is the biggest name who fans want back, and I think it would draw a sigh of relief from fans. There’s been very little news about Chubb’s market thus far, but if he hasn’t signed with someone yet, that tells me he’s not getting crazy offers. Unless Cleveland decides to shun him like they did with Flacco, then I’m expecting Chubb to be signed soon.
The Real Work to be Done
The quarterback position remains paramount, but the Browns’ upgrades this offseason are going to rely on these things:
- Improving with a strong draft class
- Shedding themselves of Deshaun Watson and the offensive system that came with him
- Going back to what worked under Kevin Stefanski, including (hopefully) the zone blocking scheme for the offensive line
On defense, I would also say that Jim Schwartz has to make some adjustments, as it’s been shown that his aggressive style of defense has been figured out.
Browns fans, what do you think needs to be done for Cleveland to have a drastically different 2025 campaign?