admin
The Cleveland Browns’ preseason win over the Carolina Panthers has generated plenty of discussion since Friday, and for good reason. With most of the projected starting lineup not suiting up for Cleveland, the 30-10 victory over Carolina provided a look at some of the Browns’ most exciting young players and where some position battles stand as we inch closer to the regular season.
Let’s take a look at some snap counts from Friday night’s game.
Offense
Friday was a big opportunity for rookie Shedeur Sanders. After months of discussion focused on four quarterbacks on the Browns’ roster, Sanders was the only one of those four to suit up against the Panthers. The former Colorado signal-caller started and got a hefty workload, playing 68% of the snaps (47 plays) during an impressive debut. Tyler Huntley, who signed with the team early last week, played the remaining 32% of the snaps (22 plays).
Leading the way on offense for the Browns were a pair of offensive linemen: Lorenzo Thompson and Jason Ivey. Thompson and Ivey were the only players to play 70% or more of the team’s offensive snaps,
Elsewhere on offense, as there has been heated competition at wide receiver all offseason, the snap distribution there also perhaps provided a glimpse of how that room may shake out over the next several weeks. Just two receivers – rookies Cade McDonald and Gage Larvadain – played over 50% of the Browns’ offensive snaps. Kaden Davis and Kisean Johnson also played a significant chunk of the snaps for the Browns with 45% and 42% respectively. Veterans Jamari Thrash and Diontae Johnson each played fewer than 20 snaps – roughly a quarter of the Browns’ offensive plays – as they compete for roles on offense.
Notably, two of the Browns’ drafted rookies – running back Dylan Sampson and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. – both played less than ten snaps each on Friday. Perhaps that’s a sign that both players could have real roles on the Browns’ offense when it comes time for the regular season.
Defense
On defense, safety Christopher Edmonds played by far the most snaps of anyone, logging 43 of them (77% of the Browns’ defensive plays.) No other Browns defender was on the field for more than 34.
The Browns’ defensive draft selections got slightly more playing time, with defensive lineman Mason Graham and linebacker Carson Schwesinger each playing 13 snaps (23% of the plays.)
With starting cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. slated to miss the entirety of the 2025 season, the Browns will need one of their depth corners to step up at nickel. The leaders in the clubhouse – Nik Needham and Myles Harden – each played roughly a third of the Browns’ defensive snaps on Friday night, both logging 19 plays on the field. Needham flashed his playmaking ability in those snaps with an interception of Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton in the second half.
Special teams
As the Browns are forced to make some difficult roster decisions in the coming weeks, special teams ability will help some of these players secure their spots on the 53-man roster. Undrafted rookie defensive end Adin Huntington led all Browns players with 19 special teams snaps (66%). He was joined by linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold (59%) and running back Trayveon Williams (52%) as the only other Browns players to play more than 50% of special teams snaps on Friday.
Other notable special teams figures from Friday: CB Chigozie Anusiem (48%), DE K.J. Henry (45%), S Christopher Edmonds (45%), CB Nik Needham (41%), and CB Myles Harden (38%)
#snap #counts #Browns #win #Panthers
