Non-QB topics to ponder a month from training camp

Yahoo

06-07-2025

BEREA — There's roughly a month to go until the Browns get back on the field for the start of training camp.
That's another month to ponder the questions that surround the team as it tries to climb back from the 3-14 disaster that was the 2024 season. That disaster has created plenty of questions for the Browns.
Advertisement
The obvious one is about the quarterback position. However, that question is so obvious it's not going to be addressed here.
Instead, let's take a look at three questions that will hover over the Browns until they get into training camp.
Tough talk, or are Browns truly committed to toughness?
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry, left, and coach Kevin Stefanski watch as wide receiver Gage Larvadain practices with the special teams during a practice at the team's training facility May 28, 2025, in Berea, Ohio.
A running theme from both coaches and some of the Browns' most prominent veterans has centered around a root cause for the 2024 record. Distilled down to the simplest term, it is the team's toughness. Or, lack thereof.
Essentially, if you listen to players like left guard Joel Bitonio, when the going got tough last season, a whole lot of players didn't respond well at all. That, in his own words, turned into a "snowball" that rolled over any hopes of a good season.
Advertisement
The talk during the offseason program was about a renewed dedication to getting tougher, both physically and mentally. They talked about tougher workouts and more accountability.
Training camp will show whether that was just tough talk, or if there really is a commitment to change. One way will come in the intensity of the training camp itself, which has been lacking in recent Browns camps compared to other teams.
More help on the way for Browns wide receiving corps?
The only veteran addition made to the Browns wide receiving corps was DeAndre Carter, a player whose biggest role may come in the return game, and Diontae Johnson, who bounced around three different teams last year. The only help in terms of rookies added came from undrafted free agents or tryout players who managed to stick.
Advertisement
So the question remains about the depth after Jerry Jeudy, who's coming off a Pro Bowl, record-setting season. Are the Browns content with what they have right now and seeing who rises to the top during training camp, or will they still bring in someone else — like maybe Keenan Allen?
There's also the third path, which calls for one of the recent wide receivers drafted by the team to make a big jump. That group most notably includes 2023 third-round pick Cedric Tillman and 2024 fifth-round pick Jamari Thrash.
Whichever path it comes from, it has to come sooner rather than later. It doesn't matter who the quarterback ends up being if they don't have a reliable group of wide receivers to target.
Would Browns make a deal to help fill one of their position gaps?
Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II (0) eyes down quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) during practice at minicamp June 10, 2025, in Berea, Ohio.
This is almost a secondary question to the previous one. However, it could have implications at other spots on the roster that need boosting as well.
Advertisement
The most obvious answer for a player the Browns could try to trade to reap another piece in return is cornerback Greg Newsome II. Of course, Newsome's been on the "Browns to watch potentially get traded" list for at least two seasons and remains here, so maybe it's time to move along.
There are also a couple of older defensive linemen who could end up moving. Those decisions, though, wouldn't be so much about getting a player back as much as getting a player out of the way so a younger player can get more reps.
This question is sort of an evergreen one. It could get answered even during this break, or not until the Browns see how the situation looks once they get going in the preseason.
Chris Easterling can be reached at [e-mail]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns questions: Is the team tough enough? Will they add another WR?