Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season is officially here.
After a packed training camp and preseason – one that saw the result of the quarterback competition come to fruition – the Browns are now poised to kick off the regular season at home against a division rival in the Bengals.
"I'm excited for the football team," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "I'm excited for all the work that these guys have put in. It's a group that has done everything we've asked them to do. So, it's fun when you get to this point in the calendar and you have that game that's within a week and you're in the game week and you get to see these guys in the roles that they've earned."
So, as we jump into the first week of the regular season, we opened up the mailbag to answer your questions.
The Browns have key rookies at important positions. With the season opener approaching, what are the expectations? – Rob M., Fairmont, West Virginia
The Browns have 12 rookies on the roster heading into Week 1, with some position groups featuring the rookies more prominently. However, all 12 rookies that made the roster have earned their spot on the 53, and the expectations for them are the same ones that the Browns hold for all of their rostered players. The Browns have a team mentality and identity centered around toughness, competitiveness and hard work, and throughout camp that has been on display through the intensity of practices.
Now as the 2025 regular season begins, that expectation to uphold that team identity doesn't change. No matter their role – either as a starter or a backup – each rookie is expected to play to their best with those three traits embodied in their games.
"It's been a really impressive rookie class, in terms of their preparedness, their professionalism," Stefanski said. "Each one of those guys represents that they've, from the jump, been about their business, have been trustworthy. We've put them in some tough spots, and they've responded. So, it's an impressive group in that regard."
One of those rookies that will hold an important role is LB Carson Schwesinger. Throughout training camp and the preseason, he made plays both during practice and had a positive impact on the defensive side of the ball in games. He also wore the green dot and helped run the defense. It's a role Schwesinger could hold as the 2025 regular season begins, giving him the responsibility to get his teammates lined up on the defensive side of the ball.
"I'm very impressed with him on a daily basis," Stefanski said on Aug. 21. "Both the plays he makes on the field and what he's able to do in the building. Making those calls is no small feat for young players, and I think the veterans on this team recognize and respect that he knows it. They respect that he puts in the work, and he does make plays out here on the practice field they hope translate to the game."
Who is the backup quarterback? – Scott W., Temperance, Michigan
Dillon Gabriel is set to serve as the backup quarterback for the Browns behind Joe Flacco. Stefanski announced Gabriel as the backup quarterback during the week following the final preseason game against the Rams.
Over the course of training camp, joint practices and the preseason, Gabriel demonstrated his ability to move the offense efficiently down the field and operate in the pocket. While his performances in the two preseason games played an important factor in the decision, the Browns' coaching staff also evaluated all of the quarterbacks' play in practice and the meeting rooms.
"It's such an all-encompassing evaluation, everything the guys did in the game was important," Stefanski said. "We also saw a lot of them out here in practice and how they are at their craft. And he is certainly somebody that we think is getting better and better."
As the Browns head into Week 1 against the Bengals, QB Shedeur Sanders will then be the emergency quarterback for the game.
What is the status of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah? – Scott R., Marion, Ohio
Back in May, the Browns placed LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on reserve/PUP for the remainder of the 2025 season – including postseason – making him ineligible to practice or play.
While he is not able to practice or play, Owusu-Koramoah has still been around his teammates and coaches at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. He was occasionally seen standing on the sidelines at practice during training camp and the preseason.
"Jeremiah (Owusu-Koramoah) is a huge part of this football team," Stefanski said on Aug. 20. "He's a huge part of who we are and what we strive to be. So, always fun to have him out here. He'll be out here hopefully a good bit, but he'll be visiting us and doing some work with us. But we love having Jeremiah out here."
