Browns training camp questions that must be answered before the season

Yahoo

7 days ago

Training camp is right around the corner, which means Cleveland Browns football is almost here.
The Browns are looking to bounce back from a rough 2024 season, where they finished 3-14 and once again started a handful of quarterbacks. They hope this season is different, but their room indicates it could be more of the same.
Despite that, there are still more questions than answers for this roster as the team resets for the future. Such a young team is likely to have a lot of depth chart battles in camp, as they may be more willing to go with young upside over veteran nuance. With just a few more weeks before rookies report to camp, here are the questions the Browns must answer before the season starts.
Which Veteran QB should they keep? (And how will they divide snaps in camp?)
The Browns put themselves in a curious position when they drafted not one, but two rookie quarterbacks, with the second of whom being of very high profile. It wasn't crazy to take multiple shots at the position in a rebuilding year, but odds are they won't roster four quarterbacks throughout the season.
Putting Shedeur Sanders on the practice squad wouldn't be a bad idea to start the season, but they risk losing him entirely should another team sign him. There's not much reason to take that chance this season. They could just keep four quarterbacks anyway, but then lose a spot for another player elsewhere on the roster.
That means that there is no backup option for Kenny Pickett or Joe Flacco. Either win the job, or lose your spot. Picking won't be easy. The team gave up draft capital to bring in Pickett, but the elder Flacco seems like a safer bet to start meaningful games. Pickett may have a little more upside to tap into, but he likely helps the bottom line of losing games and eases the transition to the young quarterbacks. Flacco, however, will provide competent, and possibly even quality play for a short duration, helping develop the young receivers and running backs before turning it over to a rookie.
Will the Browns go with the genuinely better player between the two, or play preference to the one who better benefits the long-term outlook?
How do the WRs shake out behind Jerry Jeudy?
Jerry Jeudy's breakout was a sight for sore eyes in a lost 2024 season. While we still aren't sure of his ceiling as a legit WR1, the team can at least rely on him to be the top option at receiver. With David Njoku at tight end, that gives them two solid starting options at pass catcher. The question remains: who will step up behind them?
The hope is that it will be Cedric Tillman, the third-year and former third-round draft pick out of Tennessee. Through the struggles of the offense, there hasn't been much room for Tillman to get a real shot. When that opportunity arose, he lost the rest of his season to a concussion. His flashes have been exciting but have come in a very small sample size, so it'll take a sustained quality of play to earn his role.
Otherwise, the team has several other young options waiting for a chance. Jamari Thrash, David Bell, Michael Woods II, and Kaden Davis are all still on their rookie deals and are looking to carve out a spot. The team also brought in veterans Diontae Johnson and DeAndre Carter to compete as well.
Outside of Jeudy and the first man up in Tillman, it's anyone's guess who could fill out the remaining three or four spots at the position. It'll also be telling if they opt for experience in Johnson or Carter, or take a chance on the youth.
Whose getting snaps in the edge rotation?
Bringing back Myles Garrett solidified a superpower among the teams' pass rush, yet they'll still be looking to find his sidekick on the opposite side. Much like at receiver, Cleveland has multiple young players looking to break out. The incumbents, Isaiah McGuire and Alex Wright, both showed some flashes last year. However, the team added depth by bringing in Julian Okwara and former first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
There will be bountiful opportunities in this pass rush room as defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz utilized the full depth of his bench last season. But as long as Myles Garrett is healthy, a bulk of the available snaps will be across from him, leaving room for one or two primary edge defenders. Finding gold here would go a long way for the Browns as they re-visualize their roster for the future, so dividing up snaps and giving proper opportunities will be critical this year.
Quinshon Judkins.
Sigh.
Quinshon Judkins was an incredibly promising running back prospect that the Browns took at the top of the second round of the draft. He was built to be a workhorse back, but pairing him with a faster, more dynamic back in Dylan Sampson was an impressive move to empower the run game.
It was bold to select such a position at this point of a rebuild, but the Browns needed talent on offense and found incredible value. Now, the Browns must once again navigate off-the-field issues in a strong investment after the news of Judkins' arrest.
This is a tricky situation. Judkins' status remains unknown, but it's tracking to result in at least a suspension. However, because of the NFL collusion case, as well as the Houston Texans guaranteeing the full contract of their second-round pick Jayden Higgins, the rest of the second-round class (except the Browns' own Carson Schwesinger) has yet to sign with training camp quickly approaching.
That leaves Quinshon Judkins without his NFL contract. The legal side of this situation has to play out before the Browns will have any idea of how to proceed. It doesn't appear there's much of a best-case scenario here, but there's now a chance the team burned a high second-round draft pick in a crucial reset year. Even if the situation clears up, there's a reasonable chance Judkins misses both time in camp and during the season. This is incredibly unideal for a team set up to run the ball early and often, but now they must wait to see how his legal matters play out.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns training camp questions that must be answered before the season