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With the two joint practice sessions set to kick off in Philadelphia, we’re looking at 15 Browns players to watch over the two days.
The Eagles have a busy week ahead, and after a raucous open training camp practice, the Birds are preparing for an intense two-day joint practice session with the Cleveland Browns. The session will feature teams heading in two different trajectories, as Philadelphia is looking to repeat as Super Bowl champions. At the same time, Cleveland has five quarterbacks under contract, and the shadow of rookie sensation Shedeur Sanders is looming over the franchise.
With the two joint practice sessions set to kick off, we’re looking at 15 Browns players to watch over the two days.
QB Shedeur Sanders
Sanders, a 2025 fifth-round pick, seized the moment on Friday night, leading the Browns to a 30-10 win against the Carolina Panthers as he threw for a pair of touchdowns, completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards, and scrambled for 19 yards. He’s a ratings bonanza and will get a challenge against the Eagles ‘ top-ranked defense.
QB Joe Flacco
A Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Flacco spent part of the 2021 season with Philadelphia before getting traded to the Jets following an injury to Zach Wilson. Flacco was atop the Cleveland Browns’ initial depth chart at quarterback ahead of the team’s first preseason game on Friday. The 40-year-old Flacco will get the bulk of the work before likely sitting out the second preseason game.
WR Jerry Jeudy
Jeudy is coming off a breakout campaign in 2024, during which he earned his first selection as a Pro Bowler while recording 90 catches (on 145 targets) for 1,229 yards and four touchdowns in 17 regular-season outings. In his second season with Cleveland, the 2020 first-rounder will give Eagles cornerback a surgical route-runner to compete against.
TE David Njoku
Njoku missed the final two regular-season games of the 2024 campaign due to a knee injury and then skipped voluntary OTAs. The 2017 first-round pick, who turns 29 in July, figures to be extra motivated as he heads into a contract year, and with the Browns after logging 64 catches, for 505 yards and five touchdowns on 97 targets through 11 games played.
RB Jerome Ford
With the status of unsigned rookie second-rounder Quinshon Judkins still unclear, Ford currently profiles as the Browns’ top back, with Pierrre Strong and Dylan Sampson also in the mix for touches this season.
OL Joel Bitonio
Bitonio will be back for a 12th season with the Browns and is coming off the lowest-graded season of his career, but he is still one of the most consistent interior pass protectors in the NFL. He ranks in the 93rd percentile on true pass sets at the position since 2022. That sustained performance as a pass protector has earned him the fourth-most PFF WAR (1.23) over the past three seasons.
WR Kaden Davis
Davis recorded two touchdowns against Carolina in Cleveland’s preseason opener. His first catch came on a 7-yard pass from Sanders in the end zone through tight coverage early in the second quarter, while the second came on a 12-yard pass from Sanders to close out the first half.
WR Diontae Johnson
An intriguing and talented player when he’s locked in, Johnson had a disastrous 2024 season after being traded from Carolina to Baltimore in late October, and he ended up with the worst numbers of his career across stints with three different teams.
DE Myles Garrett
Back in March, the all-world pass rusher agreed on a record contract extension that averages $40 million per year and includes $123.5 million in guaranteed money, making the star defensive end the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. This past season, Garrett became the first player to record 100 career sacks before his 29th birthday since sacks became an official stat in 1982. He was named the AP Defensive Player of the Year for the 2023 season, and his 14 sacks in 2024 ranked second in the NFL.
The Browns initially selected Garrett with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. Since entering the league, Garrett’s 102.5 sacks only trail the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt, who has 108.
DT Mason Graham
The fifth pick in the 2025 NFL draft, Graham played three seasons at Michigan, appearing in 39 career games. Throughout his collegiate career, Graham recorded 108 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, nine sacks, three passes defensed, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble.
MLB Carson Schwesinger
Schwesinger led the Browns’ defense with a total of six tackles, including four solo tackles and two combined tackles. Schwesinger established himself as a tackling monster in his lone season as a starter as a senior in 2024, leading all Power 4 players with 134 tackles. He registered 8.5 tackles for a loss, three pass breakups, two interceptions, and a forced fumble en route to becoming a finalist for the Butkus Award, given to the best linebacker in the nation.
CB Denzel Ward
Ward is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and enters 2025 Ā healthy after he earned Pro Bowl honors last year after tallying a career-high 19 passes defensed. He projects to start again in 2025 alongside Greg Newsome and Martin Emerson.
DB Grant Delpit
One of the best young safeties in the NFL, DelpitĀ finished the 2024 regular season with 111 tackles (68 solo), including 1.0 sacks, one pass defense, and one fumble recovery across 16 games.
DB Ronnie Hickman
Hickman tallied 45 tackles (26 solo), one pass breakup, and one fumble recovery across 14 regular-season appearances with the Browns in 2024.
DB Cameron Mitchell
The Cleveland Browns select Northwestern Wildcats cornerbackĀ Cameron MitchellĀ in Round 5 of the 2023Ā NFLĀ Draft with the No.Ā 142 overall pick. Mitchell recorded 17 tackles, one sack, and two pass deflections en route to helping Cleveland’s defense lead the NFL in total yards allowed and passing yards allowed during his rookie season.
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