3 Browns first-stringers in danger of losing starting jobs ahead of 2025 NFL season

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3 Browns first-stringers in danger of losing starting jobs ahead of 2025 NFL season

Troy Finnegan · ClutchPoints

Sat, Aug 16, 2025 ·

5 min read

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The post 3 Browns first-stringers in danger of losing starting jobs ahead of 2025 NFL season appeared first on ClutchPoints .

The Cleveland Browns are trying to rebound and get back to their 2023-24 form after a very disappointing year last season, but they have big questions and a lot of things to figure out before this season gets underway.

The biggest question starts at quarterback, where you can no longer count the number of signal callers in Cleveland on one hand. Joe Flacco seems to be the favorite to be the Week 1 starter at the moment, but given the way the Browns handled the NFL Draft and then have continued to add players to that room, anything can happen.

Regardless of who starts under center, the offense will still be a work in progress with a shallow receiver room and an aging offensive line that has dealt with some injury problems in recent years. The defense, however, has a chance to be very good again after bringing back a lot of pieces from some of its best units over the last few years.

The injury to Martin Emerson , which ends his season before it even starts, hurts a lot, but Cleveland still has the talent to overcome it.

The Browns knocked off the Carolina Panthers in their first preseason game, and now they are getting ready to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the second of three tune-ups before the regular season. Not much changed on the depth chart for Week 2 of the preseason, but that could still change before Week 1. Here are three starters on the current depth chart that could still get surpassed before too long.

QB Joe Flacco

The Browns arguably have the weirdest — and certainly have the most crowded — quarterback situation in the NFL coming into the season, and Joe Flacco's position at the top felt very tenuous. It would be a big surprise if Flacco isn't the Week 1 starter, but it would also be quite the stunner if he lasts longer than the first six games under center.

That would mean the Browns are having a lot of team success, which feels unlikely. For a team that is primarily rebuilding, Stefanski and his staff are likely to try to see what they have in their young quarterbacks, along with trade acquisition Kenny Pickett , to see if they have a franchise quarterback in the building or if they need to continue to try to draft one. At his age, Flacco is clearly not that guy, so it wouldn't make much sense to play him deep into the year if the Browns aren't winning games.

Unfortunately for Cleveland, the quarterback situation has already taken a big hit during the preseason. Both Pickett and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel are dealing with hamstring injuries and missed the first preseason game against the Panthers. Then, fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders suffered an oblique injury during practice in the lead-up to the second preseason game and may not play on Saturday.

That has led the Browns to bring in Tyler Huntley for the preseason, and there's no telling what will happen when Deshaun Watson gets back from his Achilles injury and is available to play. However, the Browns' inability to fully evaluate this room due to injury over the last few weeks could lead to a very interesting regular season at the position.

LB Mohamoud Diabate

Mohamoud Diabate made 11 starts in his second NFL season in 2024-25, and he is slated to start in Week 1 once again in 2025 despite a rocky season last year for the Browns. Cleveland has two solid starters in veteran Devin Bush , coming off of a good season, and rookie second-round pick Carson Schwesinger out of UCLA. However, the third spot could be up for grabs.

Diabate currently occupies that spot, but he was an anchor for this Browns defense last season. PFF gave him just a 51.9 grade overall for the season in his 13 games, which was good for 148th out of 189 linebackers. Therefore, the Browns will surely be looking for improved production from that spot this fall.

Cleveland also brought in veteran linebacker Jerome Baker this offseason. Baker wasn't great last season, as the Seattle Seahawks traded him to the Tennessee Titans midseason, but he still graded out much higher than Diabate did. Baker also has much more experience than Diabate does, so Stefanski could opt to go in that direction with the starting job.

WR Jamari Thrash

Cedric Tillman and Jerry Jeudy are firmly cemented as starting receivers for this Browns team, but there is a fierce battle going on for the third spot. At the moment, young Louisville product Jamari Thrash holds that spot on the depth chart, but that could very well change before the regular season gets going.

On one hand, Thrash is a very intriguing option. He has a lot of juice and explosiveness and could provide some big-play ability to this Browns offense. On the other hand, Cleveland has a veteran option in Diontae Johnson that can be a little bit more trustworthy for the young quarterbacks if Cleveland can get him to buy in.

Thrash didn't have much of a role in Cleveland last season, catching just three balls on seven targets for 22 yards. While a year two jump is expected, earning a starting role over a veteran is still a tall task.

Johnson will need to prove that he is bought in after a couple of failed stints around the league last season, most notably with the Baltimore Ravens . However, he is still an experienced wideout with a Pro Bowl appearance and a 1,000-yard season under his belt, so he has the talent in him and could very well end up in the Week 1 lineup for Stefanski and company.

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