Browns' Backs Key to Exceeding Expectations

They say that if a team has two quarterbacks, it actually has none. The Cleveland Browns will enter 2025 with five quarterbacks. That probably isn’t for the best.

Subsequently, expectations are low for the Browns. The cloud of Deshaun Watson’s contract hangs over the franchise, and trading down from No. 2 (and sacrificing the rights to Travis Hunter) was a sign of just how much rebuilding the team had in front of it.

Climbing from horrible to average would be a win for Cleveland, but getting back to relevance comes first.

The Browns will bank on their improved running game to exceed their consensus power ranking, which ESPN recently listed at No. 29.

“The Browns averaged 94.6 rushing yards per game last season, which ranked 29th and was their lowest mark in five seasons under coach Kevin Stefanski,” Daniel Oyefusi wrote. “Cleveland rebuilt its running game in the draft, forming a backfield that is explosive and suited for the physicality of the AFC North.

“Quinshon Judkins, the 36th pick, is a tough runner who forced 179 missed tackles from 2022 to '24, the fourth most in the FBS in that span. Dylan Sampson, a fourth-round pick, is a big-play threat who ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the combine.”

The Nick Chubb era of Cleveland football is effectively over, and last season’s rushing results tell the entire story. With Chubb injured for much of the year and ineffective when he was on the field, the Browns struggled on the ground. They ranked 27th in expected points added per rush and 30th in success rate.

The passing game cannot reasonably be expected to thrive in 2025, but having a strong backfield capable of keeping the offense on schedule (even as defenses skew their attention towards the ground game) could make life easier for Kevin Stefanski and whichever quarterback he chooses.

Cleveland made the requisite moves in the 2025 NFL Draft to best attack the issue. Judkins offers consistency on an every-down basis and enough power to trust in short-yardage situations, and Sampson’s big-play ability will get routinely put to use. There’s a path to the unit elevating the Browns’ floor.

Even so, the offense’s upside is severely limited by the rest of the offense. Sitting between the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets in these power rankings, there is still plenty of work to be done.