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[Cleveland Browns]

Browns trivia: Your in-5 daily game, Monday edition

Think you can figure out which Browns player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game!

Hey, Cleveland Browns fans! We’re back for another day of the Dawgs By Nature in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.

Today’s Dawgs By Nature in-5 game​

If you can’t see the embedded game and you’re using Apple News, click this link.

Previous Games​

Sunday, May 25, 2025
Saturday, May 24, 2025
Friday, May 23, 2025

Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games​

NFL in-5
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Dawgs By Nature in-5 instructions​

The goal of the game is to guess the correct Browns player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS this week. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. The game appears in slot #3 of the DBN layout each day this week and as noted above, will appear in this article exclusively. Additionally, there is a more general version of this at SBNation.com, which features a variety of random players that do not necessarily have Eagles history.

After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form.

Enjoy!

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/5/26/24437294/sb-nation-browns-daily-trivia-in-5

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Browns: 5 players under pressure in a contract year in 2025

Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

These players need to regain their mojo this fall to earn that next payday.

The Cleveland Browns will spend the next seven months evaluating the current situation at quarterback.

Between now and the start of the 2026 NFL Draft, the team needs to know, or at least have a solid understanding, what rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders bring to the field. If they can successfully do that, then general manager Andrew Berry will have a clear picture of how to use the pair of first-round picks he currently has in his pocket.

While most of the focus will be on the quarterbacks, the coaches and front office will keep an eye on several players in the last year of their contracts, with the following five to watch this fall.

Cornerback Greg Newsome II​

Cleveland’s first-round selection in 2021, Greg Newsome II was a solid starter opposite Denzel Ward his first three seasons, as he had an average coverage grade of 72.5 and an average overall grade of 68.9 from Pro Football Focus.

Newsome took a big downtown in 2024, however. After starting 11 or more games in each of his first three seasons, Newsome only started three times last season and finished with a coverage grade of 54 (163rd out of 222 ranked cornerbacks) and an overall grade of 52.2 (177th out of 222 cornerbacks).

The Browns picked up Newsome’s fifth-year option for this season, and he will need a bounce-back year to earn a second contract in Cleveland.

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

Center Ethan Pocic​

Cleveland signing Ethan Pocic as a free agent in 2022 was a mostly quiet transaction. But when starter Nick Harris went down with a season-ending injury in the preseason, Pocic stepped in and quickly became one of the game’s best at his position.

Pocic’s play has declined during his time with the Browns, however, as his overall grade from Pro Football Focus has gone from 78.9 in 2022 to 63.6 last season. His run-blocking grade has also dropped 19 percent, which is not a good sign for a team that may be looking to emphasize the run this fall.

The Browns have a potential succession plan in place with Luke Wypler on the roster, so Pocic needs to rediscover his form to earn that next contract.

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

Guard Wyatt Teller​

It wasn’t until his second season with the Browns that Wyatt Teller took off, but when he did, he put up a two-year stretch of play that put him among the league’s best at the guard position.

Teller’s play has been declining the past three years with a 32 percent drop in his overall PFF grade from his high point of 92.2 in 2020 down to 62.6 last season as he dealt with injuries that cost him four games. His run-blocking grade, which is the high point of Teller’s game, has seen a similar drop of 34 percent in the same time frame.

And like the situation with Ethan Pocic, the Browns started to work on a succession plan with the drafting of Zak Zinter last season, but with fellow guard Joel Bitonio effectively year-to-year now, Teller will need to find his old form in his upcoming contract season.

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

Defensive end Alex Wright​

The Browns have been bullish on Alex Wright since selecting him in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he appeared ready to take a step forward after picking up five sacks as part of Cleveland’s defensive end rotation in 2023.

But a torn triceps brought surgery and a trip to the season-ending injured reserve list after just four games last season, and now the pressure is on for Wright to continue the upward trend he was displaying before the injury.

There should be plenty of opportunities for Wright to insert back into the rotation this fall as the Browns are not exactly flush at the position once you get past Myles Garrett. There will still be plenty of competition, however, so Wright needs to make it to the season first and then take advantage of every chance he gets to show the Browns he is deserving of a second contract with the club.

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

Cornerback Martin Emerson Jr.​

Martin Emerson made a splash his rookie season, especially in coverage, as part of Cleveland’s cornerback group. But it has been all downhill from there.

After posting a coverage grade of 75.1 from Pro Football Focus as a rookie, Emerson dropped all the way down to a grade of 48.4 last season while starting 15 games. That is a tough road to take when you are playing more than 500 snaps each season in coverage.

Emerson needs to regain his rookie form this fall to earn a second contract, be it with the Browns or another team.

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/...-contract-year-2025-greg-newsome-wyatt-teller

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Browns schedule: OTAs start with mandatory minicamp around the corner

Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Another step toward training camp with the first OTA workouts

The pomp and circumstance around the Cleveland Browns is significantly muted this offseason, with a reset to the roster and GM Andrew Berry and HC Kevin Stefanski seemingly getting a restart. The hype would be even less, but the Browns selected social media superstar Shedeur Sanders, which brings with it attention, sponsorships and potentially more.

For now, the four-way competition at the quarterback position is the most interesting part for Cleveland, along with the potential for turning back the clock and following the recent trend in leading with a rushing attack.

Next up on the Browns schedule is OTAs (offseason training activities). Though voluntary, Berea will see a large portion of the team’s 90-man roster come through starting on Tuesday at a strange interval before mandatory minicamp:

• May 27-28, May 30, June 3-4, June 6

Minicamp runs from June 10th through the 12th, with one last set of OTA practices running June 16-19.

Often, guaranteed starters will show up to OTAs closer to minicamp while giving coaches a chance to spend more time with younger or new players in attendance at the earlier practices. While questions might come up about attendance, coaches will always note the voluntary nature of OTAs, with the Browns participation similar to what we see league-wide.

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How much do you think OTAs matter for Cleveland this year? If you were there to observe, what would you be watching for at the first practice on Tuesday?

Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/5/27/24437869/browns-schedule-ota-mandatory-minicamp

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Browns sign first-round pick Mason Graham: how much will he make?

Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images

Cleveland has now locked up 5 of their 7 rookie draft picks.

Don't expect any holdouts from the Cleveland Browns' rookie draft class. On Tuesday, the team announced the signing of first-round defensive tackle Mason Graham, who was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

After previously signing third-round tight end Harold Fannin Jr., second-round linebacker Carson Schwesinger, and fourth-round running back Dylan Sampson, the most recent signing had come a little over a week ago, when fifth-round quarterback Shedeur Sanders signed.

Now, five of the team's seven draft picks are signed. The only players remaining are second-round running back Quinshon Judkins and third-round quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The signing of Graham comes as the team's OTAs kick off today (see full schedule here).

How much money will Graham make on his rookie contract? It'll be a four-year, $40.87 million deal that is fully guaranteed, including a $26 million signing bonus. Rookie deals are fairly structured on a scale these days (meaning there isn't much negotiation to be had).

Browns and their first-round pick Mason Graham reached agreement today on his four-year, fully-guaranteed $40,874,191 deal, per his agents Ryan Matha and Ryan Tollner of @excelfootball. pic.twitter.com/k2umR8PJdw

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 27, 2025​

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/...round-pick-mason-graham-how-much-will-he-make

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Browns roster gets much younger with this year’s NFL draft class; 3 reasons that matters

Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Only Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel were above 22, 4 picks 21 or younger

While “age is nothing but a number” is a popular saying, in the NFL, age is a huge factor. In general, younger players with higher athletic profiles are not only drafted higher but often end up dominating at their positions. Generally, the quarterback spot is the exception, although athleticism can help.

The Cleveland Browns added a seven-player class in the 2025 NFL draft, which was not only highly athletic but also brought some significant youth to the roster. While some may scoff that “of course they got younger drafting college players,” COVID rules, NIL and transfer options have skewed the draft older over the last few years.

The Browns drafted two players who are still 20 years old:

• TE Harold Fannin Jr.
• RB Dylan Sampson

Cleveland also added two others who are just 21:

• DT Mason Graham
• RB Quinshon Judkins

The Browns other second-round pick, LB Carson Schwesinger, is 22 years old, while quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel (24) and Shedeur Sanders (23) skew the average age a little bit.

In general, younger players provide three distinct advantages:

• Fewer injuries, in general
• Higher upside expected
• Chance to play longer at the pro level

Like anything, age is just one factor in evaluating a draft class and roster, but Cleveland’s future looks a bit brighter, even if the 2025 season might have a few more struggles, with a younger crop of players.

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/5/28/24438599/browns-roster-nfl-draft-age

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Browns OTAs: 1st QB lineup has interesting order, provides a little insight

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images

Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco will get most of the attention but Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel could get starting QB job

Much (proverbial) ink will be spilled about the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback competition. With five quarterbacks on the roster, four of whom are healthy and competing for the starting position, the Browns are in a unique position. That Joe Flacco helped lead a miraculous run for the team two years ago and Shedeur Sanders being a popular social media star who fell multiple rounds in the NFL draft adds to the drama.

Of the four, Dillon Gabriel cost the biggest asset to acquire (3rd round pick), with veteran Kenny Pickett just behind him (5th rounder and Dorian Thompson-Robinson).

While many assume that Flacco is the front runner for the starting role, Pickett took the first snaps at voluntary OTAs:

Kenny Pickett took the first snap in the first jog through drill. The rest of the order was also as expected: Flacco, Gabriel, Sanders.

— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) May 28, 2025​

The following video starts with Flacco, but in the second round, you can see the order of Pickett, Flacco, Gabriel then Sanders:

The first of many passing drills for #Browns quarterbacks Joe Flacco (15), Kenny Pickett (8), Dillon Gabriel (5) and Shedeur Sanders (12). pic.twitter.com/D7MhU8YlCw

— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) May 28, 2025​

Unlike Myles Garrett’s absence, the order of quarterbacks has meaning. For now, HC Kevin Stefanski has decided Pickett then Flacco are his first two quarterbacks, followed by the rookies in the order in which they were drafted. Stefanski noted that there is little meaning to the order, but the team does decide the order, which gives it at least some meaning:

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski on the QB rotation, which changes drill to drill and practice to practice. pic.twitter.com/q83BRh50s8

— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) May 28, 2025

The next important update on the QB order and competition will likely be at mandatory minicamp. The fourth string quarterback, at this point Sanders, got and will continue to receive fewer reps than the three ahead of him, another reason these orders can matter.

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Are you surprised that Pickett, not Flacco, is leading the initial QB group? Do you think it has much meaning or is it just splitting hairs to start the competition?

Share any thoughts you might have below

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/...rder-shedeur-sanders-joe-flacco-kenny-pickett

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Browns veteran defends Myles Garrett on social media

Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Another Cleveland pass rusher comes to Garrett’s defense regarding IG post

The Cleveland Browns officially began OTAs this week, and one of the hottest topics has been the fact that DE Myles Garrett isn’t in attendance.

In a tweet by Dov Kleiman, he pointed out that DE Ogbo Okoronkwo “liked” an Instagram post that revolved around Garrett not being a good leader for the team.

The post criticizes him for being in Japan instead of in Berea with the organization.

Okoronkwo swiftly addressed the report and defended Garrett, stating that:

“Myles a great teammate and leader, saw the post and thought these guys literally don’t have a clue what’s going on and this post supported that. If you’re bored go exercise.”

Myles a great teammate and leader, saw the post and thought these guys literally don’t have a clue what’s going on and this post supported that. If you’re bored go exercise. https://t.co/pOQXilHOJV

— Ogbo Okoronkwo | Obeezy (@OgboOkoronkwo) May 29, 2025​

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/...myles-garrett-social-media-ogbonnia-okoronkwo

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Browns fans: What was your favorite move of the offseason?

Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

From signing Joe Flacco to drafting running backs and cleaning out the QB room, what move stood out as your favorite?

The Cleveland Browns, like every other team in the NFL, have spent the offseason rebuilding from last season’s disappointing campaign.

The Browns used every means available to renovate what was one of the historically worst quarterback rooms in 2024. A trade brought Kenny Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles, free agency reunited the team with Joe Flacco, and Cleveland double-dipped in the NFL Draft with the selections of Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

The wide receiver group saw the additions of DeAndre Carter and Diontae Johnson in free agency, while the receiving game also got a boost in the draft with the selection of tight end Harold Fannin Jr. And let’s not sleep on a group of undrafted free agents wide receivers who will be looking to make their mark this summer.

General manager Andrew Berry used that same combination of free agency and the draft to add reinforcements for the defensive line in defensive tackles Mason Graham and Ralph Holley, and defensive ends Julian Okwara and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.

Now that the transactions are starting to dry up and teams are moving closer to the summer break before training camp, Mike Sando at The Athletic took a look at the past few months to determine his favorite offseason move for every team.

In the case of the Browns, it was a draft-day trade that caught his fancy:

Adding a 2026 first-round pick from Jacksonville in exchange for dropping from No. 2 to No. 5 in the draft stands out for Cleveland. Though the Browns could regret passing up Travis Hunter, the draft capital could help them land a quarterback in the future, which could be a top priority even after the team used third- and fifth-round picks on the position this year.

Selecting a favorite offseason is different from looking for the best offseason move. For the Browns, there are a few contenders for the best move, including:

• Agreeing to a contract extension with defensive end Myles Garrett, the game’s best defensive player.
• Adding a pair of rookie running backs in Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson to collectively fill the void left by Nick Chubb.
• Executing a plan to address the quarterback situation.

Some moves that could be classified as favorites include:

• Letting Jameis Winston leave in free agency and signaling that the Deshaun Watson era is over.
• Retaining the general manager/head coach combination of Berry and Kevin Stefanski, rather than blowing it all up again.
• Resisting the urge to select a quarterback simply because they played at Ohio State.

Those are just a few that come to mind, so let’s hear from you, Browns fans. What was your favorite move, or moves, this offseason? Have your say in the comments!

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/...-myles-garrett-deshaun-watson-shedeur-sanders

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Browns QB Kenny Pickett: Philly showed me ‘how it is supposed to be done’

Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Can Cleveland’s new QB regain a starting role after a year spent washing off the stink of Pittsburgh?

The Cleveland Browns have received ample attention for their ongoing quarterback woes, and with good reason.

After cycling through a series of quarterbacks, ranging from Ty Detmer to Bailey Zappe, since 1999, including five first-round selections, the Browns have built a reputation as the team where quarterbacks go to struggle.

Related: Joe Flacco reiterates his thoughts on mentoring young QBs

But there is another team in the AFC North Division whose struggles in recent years put them on equal footing with the Browns, and that is the NFL’s so-called “model franchise,” the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Over the past decade, the Steelers have started Landry Jones, Michael Vick, Mason Rudolph, Devlin Hodges, Mitch Trubisky, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Kenny Pickett at various times at quarterback.

Here is Kenny Pickett working with the #Browns first offense in 11-on-11. Watch to the end to see him zip a pass to Jerry Jeudy (3). pic.twitter.com/BbzgyfgiEi

— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) May 28, 2025​

Pittsburgh did have the luxury of having Ben Roethlisberger around until he retired after the 2021 season. But even so, that list is not an impressive one and points to the Steelers’ inability to evaluate and/or develop players at the game’s most important position.

Which brings us to Pickett, a first-round selection by the Steelers in 2022 who spent two mostly forgettable seasons in Pittsburgh. Pickett got out when the Steelers traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2024 offseason. With the Eagles, Pickett appeared in five mostly forgettable games, although he did lead the Eagles to a win in his lone start.

Pickett is now with the Browns as part of the quarterback quartet with veteran Joe Flacco and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

Here's some Kenny Pickett work from today's OTA session. #Browns pic.twitter.com/BWiiXBAr9R

— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) May 28, 2025​

And even though he was only with the Eagles for a single season, that may have been long enough to wash off any residual stink from his time in Pittsburgh, as Pickett explained this week when asked about how his time in Philadelphia impacted him (quote via a team-provided transcript):

“Yeah, I’m extremely grateful for my time in Philly. I think I was just shown how it’s supposed to be done, really, from the top down. So when you get a chance to see what it’s supposed to look like and how it should look on a day-to-day basis, not just on Sundays. You know, I think it’ll pay dividends for me in the future.”

Hopefully, Pickett is right about those dividends paying off. Much has been made about the Browns “giving up assets” to acquire him as some sign that he is a lock to make the final roster. But Cleveland only gave up quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round selection in the deal, so it would not be difficult to move on from Pickett when the final roster cutdown arrives at the end of the summer.

But if Pickett did pick up a few things from the Eagles, he might end up as the lone quarterback to find success after getting away from the Steelers.

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/...lphia-showed-me-how-it-is-supposed-to-be-done

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Browns QB update from OTAs: ‘Dillon Gabriel does not look like an NFL quarterback to me’

Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Shedeur Sanders impresses as the Browns QB competition gets viewed for first time in OTAs

The fate of the 2025 Cleveland Browns season rides mostly on the team’s defense and their attempt to rejuvenate the rushing attack. Despite that, the Browns quarterback competition will be the biggest storyline, especially given the lack of play style continuity among the four quarterbacks competing for the job.

Cleveland can overachieve in 2025 despite low expectations and the Browns roster being graded among the worst heading into the summer. Competent quarterback play will have to be a part of that. At some level, Cleveland’s quarterback room is full of unknowns:

• Can Joe Flacco recreate his 2023 magic?
• Is Terry Bradshaw right about Kenny Pickett and did he learn enough in one year with the Philadelphia Eagles?
• Is size actually a problem or did the Browns find something in Dillon Gabriel that other teams just missed?
• Did Shedeur Sanders fall only because of his draft process, family name and limited athletic upside or is he not built to start in the NFL?

According to Zac Jackson, Sanders has been impressive, but his statement about Gabriel not looking like an NFL quarterback got the headline:

.@AkronJackson says Shedeur Sanders has been impressive early on, but makes it clear that Dillon Gabriel doesn't look like a NFL QB. @InfSportsNet pic.twitter.com/Xq0SjSRXQF

— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) May 30, 2025​

As Jackson notes, we have not heard of another team that was interested in drafting Gabriel inside the first 100 picks, with some uncertainty of whether he still would have been available in the last two rounds if the Browns hadn’t selected him. Physical outliers, which Gabriel fits, rarely succeed in a sport like football. That doesn’t mean Gabriel won’t, but it is a steep climb when you don’t meet certain physical benchmarks.

There is a long time before Cleveland’s decision makers have to decide on a starter for 2025 but Sanders and Gabriel (and Pickett to a lesser degree) have one year to prove something to the Browns before the team’s two picks in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft could be used to find the next “franchise QB.”

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Do you think Gabriel can overcome his physical limitations to become “an NFL quarterback” or is that unrealistic?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/...riel-shedeur-sanders-joe-flacco-kenny-pickett

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Browns get a salary cap spending boost

Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

June 2nd marks the day when Andrew Berry gets some salary cap relief — why is that?

The Cleveland Browns are in the middle of their offseason programs, but they are about to get a little bit of a boost when it comes to their available cap space.

You may have heard the phrase "post-June 1st designation" when general manager Andrew Berry has released veteran players in the past. That time is coming up soon — on Monday, June 2nd, to be specific. Let's remind ourselves who the Browns gave those designations to earlier this offseason:

• DT Dalvin Tomlinson
• S Juan Thornhill

Heading into June, the Browns were taking a $5.864 million cap hit for Thornhill. Effective June 2nd, that number gets reduced to $2.284 million, freeing up $3.58 million in cap space for 2025.

Similarly, Tomlinson was still carrying a cap number of $11.54 million in 2025 through June. Now, effective June 2nd, he will only count as $5.04 million in dead cap toward 2025, a savings of $6.5 million in 2026.

Together, the savings add up to about $10.08 million, which gives Browns general manager Andrew Berry a little more flexibility to do what he wants — either adding a player, extending a contract, restructuring a contract, or having more cap space to roll over into next season. Also, keep in mind that this doesn’t mean the Browns are completely off the hook when it comes to the likes of Thornhill and Tomlinson. For example, in 2026, they will still carry about $12.11 million in dead cap space for Tomlinson. But with the NFL salary cap increasing each year, those are the types of deferred wastes that Berry has been more than happy to take on if it means improving the team in the present.

Those aren’t the only two players who account for dead cap space for the Browns in 2025. In fact, the Browns’ dead cap cost in 2025 is over $60 million. How did it get that high? See the former list of Browns the team is still accounting for here.

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/6/1/24440694/browns-salary-cap-spending-boost-in-june

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Who has the biggest dead cap hit on the Browns in 2025?

Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

Cleveland has 13 players on their dead cap list, with Amari Cooper checking in at No. 1.

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry has become a master at utilizing the various mechanisms available to keep the Browns compliant with the NFL’s salary cap rules.

While that is part of a general manager’s job, it has become even more important ever since the Browns signed quarterback Deshaun Watson to a five-year contract in 2022 that fully guarantees $230 million.

Related: Browns have led the league in spending since 2021

The team would have gladly paid that bill if Watson had been the same player he was with the Houston Texans. However, injuries and a league suspension have left Watson a shadow of his former self, which has led the Browns to close the door on the Watson era, even with two years remaining on his contract.

The NFL is examining some of the loopholes that teams utilize as they prepare for the next round of negotiations with the players’ union, as the current Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire after the 2030 season.

While that is still in the future, the Browns picked up a little more than $10 million in salary cap space today as the post-June 1 designated release of safety Juan Thornhill and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson became official.

Thornhill and Tomlinson will still impact the team’s salary cap this year, even though they are no longer on the team, in the form of dead cap money. According to spotrac, “any guaranteed base salary that has yet to be paid out is considered dead cap on the contract. Should the player be released, all guaranteed salary will accelerate and be treated as dead cap in the current season. If traded, any unpaid guaranteed salary will transfer to the new team.”

NEW: A look at every #NFL team’s top Dead Cap hit for the upcoming 2025 season, led by Deebo Samuel ($34M+) & Russell Wilson ($32M). https://t.co/MdCVc6rbJT

— Spotrac (@spotrac) June 2, 2025​

All told, the Browns will carry more than $60 million in dead cap money, covering 13 players, for the 2025 season. The list includes linebacker Nathaniel Wilson’s $122,043, defensive tackle Siaki Ika’s $428,756, and offensive tackle Jedrick Wills’ $11.8 million.

Topping the list, according to spotrac, is wide receiver Amari Cooper at $22.58 million. While that is a lot of money for a player who last caught a pass from a Cleveland quarterback on October 13, 2024, there are other teams dealing with similar hits:

• The San Francisco 49ers top the list with a $34.1 million hit for wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
• The Denver Broncos have a $32 million hit for quarterback Russell Wilson.
• The New Orleans Saints have a $31.6 million hit for cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
• The New York Giants have a $22.2 million hit for quarterback Daniel Jones.

The full list of Cleveland’s dead cap players is available here.

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/...gest-dead-cap-hit-amari-cooper-deshaun-watson

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Ohio Senate GOP has own idea about stadium funding for the Browns

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

State officials are still haggling over where the $600M in state funding will come from.

The Cleveland Browns have a dream that is Brook Park.

The dream includes a domed stadium and a surrounding entertainment district that, in addition to NFL games, would host a variety of other major events, from concerts to tournament games in college basketball and football, pro wrasslin’, and perhaps even a Super Bowl.

All that is needed to make the dream a reality is $1.2 billion in public money, with $600 million of that amount coming from the State of Ohio.

But that state money is turning out to be harder to access than perhaps anyone originally thought.

While everyone at the state level seems properly motivated to provide the requested funding, there are three different ideas of where that $600 million will come from:

• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine wants to double the state’s tax on the sports-betting companies that operate in Ohio, which is actually a pretty reasonable idea. Those companies take in money from Ohio residents but don’t employ anyone in the state, which means they don’t contribute to the state economy, according to DeWine. Increasing the tax rate would create a permanent funding source for when Ohio’s sports teams come calling for money.
• That did not go over well with Ohio House Republicans, however, who want to use the old-school method of issuing bonds to cover the $600 million. Showing they want to be good fiscal agents of public money, the plan would require team owners to put $50 million into escrow just in case the tax revenue generated by the stadium does not cover the bond payments.
• Not wanting to sit idly by, the Ohio House Senate jumped into the discussion on Tuesday with their own plan. According to cleveland.com, the new plan would draw $1.7 billion from the state’s Unclaimed Property Fund, with $600 million going to the Browns and the rest being held for when the state’s other teams need stadium funding. In addition, the plan would require team owners to have another $50 million on hand in case the initial $50 million is used up in cost overruns.

In case you are not familiar with the Unclaimed Property Fund, it is made up of money sent to the state by banks, insurance companies, and other businesses after no one has claimed the money for three to five years. Want to see if you have any unclaimed funds? Just visit unclaimedfund.ohio.gov to find out!

So what does this all mean for the Browns? Probably very little, at least for now. The people in control of the state money all seem to be on board with the $600 million figure for the project, they are now down to figuring out which plan will actually be the one in the final budget sent to DeWine.

The governor can always veto any part of the budget he is not fond of, but the House and Senate can override any veto with a 60 percent vote in each chamber. Seeing as how representatives from both the House and the Senate will get together to work on the final budget that will be sent to DeWine, it is not unreasonable to expect that they will have the votes in their pockets to override a veto from the governor.

Everything has to be buttoned up by June 30, so the good news is we are only a few weeks away from finally having the answer to how the state will fund its portion of the domed stadium project in Brook Park.

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/...-browns-ohio-senate-gop-domed-stadium-funding

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Browns Reacts Survey - Which positions are the most concerning?

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images

On offense and defense, not including quarterback.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cleveland Browns fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

As we're in the middle of some of the Browns' offseason programs, training camp will be here before we know it. With that in mind, we're going to begin our positional training camp previews soon, which will give us more time to dedicate to each position.

Leading up to those previews, we're asking two questions in our Reacts poll below. The first question asks which position on offense is the most concerning, not including the quarterback position. The choices on offense are running back, wide receiver, tight end, and left tackle.

Then on defense, we're asking the same question: which is the most concerning unit between defensive end, defensive tackle, linebacker, safety, and cornerback?

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/...urvey-which-positions-are-the-most-concerning

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Where do Browns defenders rank on PFF’s Top 32 lists?

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

After a down year, only four members of Cleveland’s defense make the cut at their respective positions.

The Cleveland Browns defense took a step backward in 2024.

After helping to lead the team to the playoffs in 2023 by finishing second in DVOA, Cleveland fell all the way to No. 25 last year, contributing to the rubble of the 3-14 season.

It was not all the defense’s fault, of course, as they were tasked far too often with trying to clean up the mess left by a historically bad offense. That strain, along with the season-ending injury to linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, tackling issues in the secondary, an inability to get off the field on third downs, and a lack of turnovers, contributed to the defense not performing at a consistently high level.

Given all that, it should come as no surprise that only four members of the defense - two of which may come as a surprise - are part of Pro Football Focus’ various rankings of the Top 32 players at each position along the defense.

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

The most obvious choice came at defensive end with Myles Garrett, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, coming in at No. 1:

Garrett finished as the NFL’s top pass-rusher for the third consecutive season, leading the league in PFF pass-rush grade (92.8), total pressures (83), pass-rush win rate (23.1%), and pressure rate (18.1%). The future Hall of Famer also became the youngest player in NFL history to reach 100 career sacks and remains the only player to record 14 or more sacks in four straight seasons.

The first surprise comes at linebacker, with Jordan Hicks checking in at No. 20 in his first season in Cleveland:

The Browns‘ linebacking corps was marred by injuries in 2024, and Hicks was no exception. Despite missing five games, he played a pivotal role on the team’s defense following the injury to Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Hicks earned his highest PFF overall grade (77.4) since leaving Philadelphia in 2018, and he will now again play a crucial role in Cleveland in 2025.

The lone cornerback to make the list is Denzel Ward, coming in at No. 10:

Ward is another player who has struggled to stay healthy but, when at full strength, is one of the best in the NFL. In 2024, Ward was on a torrid forced-incompletion-rate pace until he faded at the end of the season. He still led the NFL with 17 forced incompletions, and his 80.4 PFF coverage grade in man and zone-match coverage was tops in the NFL.

Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The final surprise comes at safety, as Ronnie Hickman Jr. is ranked at No. 24:

Durability has been a concern for Hickman, who has played only 785 snaps over the first two seasons of his career. However, when he is on the field, his ability warrants his inclusion on this list. Hickman’s 77.2 PFF overall grade in 2024 ranked 13th among safeties, similar to his 81.7 PFF run-defense grade.

General manager Andrew Berry did some work in the offseason to rebuild the defense, most notably with the selection of defensive tackle Mason Graham and linebacker Carson Schwesinger in the NFL Draft and signing Joe Tryon-Shoyinka in free agency.

If the new guys can contribute, and a few of the incumbents get back to form, then the defense can be closer to the 2023 unit and help take some pressure off an offense that may still be finding its way in the opening weeks of the regular season.

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/...rs-pff-top-32-lists-myles-garrett-denzel-ward

 

[Cleveland Browns]

Browns fans: Choose your favorite from 2 less than awesome outcomes for 2025’s season

Shedeur Sanders, Kenny Pickett or Dillon Gabriel could be the Browns future... so could the 2026 NFL draft

Anyone who thinks they know how the Cleveland Browns 2025 season will for sure end up is either guessing, a fool, or a time traveler. Only a time traveler knows when and how the Browns long-standing quarterback issue will ever be solved.

For this season, Joe Flacco could start for the team, but he’s clearly not a long-term option. The other three quarterbacks fighting for the starting job, on the other hand, could be. Kenny Pickett is a former first-round pick whom Cleveland traded for. Shedeur Sanders was expected to be a first-round pick, but fell while Dillon Gabriel is the quarterback the Browns spent the most assets to acquire.

Prior to the 2025 NFL draft, we shared the idea that Cleveland needed to find a prospect better than Baker Mayfield. At the time, the question was whether they had a chance to draft Cam Ward, would select Sanders in the first or second round or if one of Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe or Tyler Shough would get that chance.

Instead, the Browns traded out of the second overall selection to acquire an extra first-round pick in 2026, selected Gabriel late in the third round, and traded back up to select Sanders in the fifth.

Given the big trade and limited assets devoted to acquiring the three younger quarterbacks, it seems Cleveland’s plan is to see what they have in 2025 while having the ammunition to get a top-flight quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft. The best case scenario is that one of Gabriel, Pickett or Sanders shows that they can be that top-tier guy during the 2025 season and the Browns can make moves around them with the extra picks in 2026.

Unfortunately, there is no certainty of that best possible outcome so we are bringing you two lesser choices to get a feel for what fans want in 2026:

Option 1​

Pickett, Gabriel or Sanders prove they are a decent to good quarterback, let's say a Top 20 level QB (In Pro Football Focus’ rankings that would put them near Tua Tagovailoa, Bo Nix and Bryce Young) but only the most optimistic fan would believe they are capable of being a Top 10 level quarterback.

Cleveland wins some games but misses the playoffs by a game or two, leading to drafting in the middle of the first round with their pick.

The combination of a good but not great young QB and a lesser pick would make it more difficult to pull the trigger on drafting one high in the ‘26 draft, and it would be more expensive if they needed to trade up. The Browns would win some games, have a decent quarterback, and some hope for quality play moving forward, but with a likely ceiling of a playoff, not a Super Bowl contender.

Option 2​

Basically a similar season to what happened in 2024, with slightly better defense and slightly better offens,e but it is clear that Pickett was overdrafted and will never be a starter, Gabriel is too small/limited and Sanders doesn’t have a big enough arm or athletic ability to be a long-term quality starter.

Cleveland fans will see more losing, but will have a clear direction in the 2026 NFL draft and a very high pick (plus the Jacksonville Jaguars selection) to find their quarterback of the future. Potentially one with much higher upside (a given since Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders were all acquired with picks in the late third round or later).

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Between those two options, which would you choose for the 2025 Browns season?

You can vote in the poll below, but we really want to hear your thoughts on the decision in our comment section below.

If you have never signed up for an account to join the comments, today is a perfect day to do so for free here. Then come back and share your thoughts down below

Source: https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2025/...s-dillon-gabriel-kenny-pickett-2026-nfl-draft