The talk of the town right now and likely for the entire season will be Shedeur Sanders. After a great first outing and a terrible second performance, the opinions are split, but the chatter is loud from everyone on what their opinions are, which is bizarre for a guy who might get a handful of starts in 2025. We've also heard plenty about how good a player Carson Schwesinger looks to become, and the void of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah may not be as bad as originally anticipated. And with Mason Graham being the fourth overall pick and Dillon Gabriel ahead of the beloved Sanders on the depth chart, both get plenty of coverage as well.
The two names we haven't seen enough of yet are Dylan Sampson and Andrew Szmyt, who will both have massive roles this season. Sampson, who was a fourth-round pick for the Browns in 2025, will have a massive opportunity with Quinshon Judkins yet to be signed. He will start the season as the number two running back behind Jerome Fod, but could quickly get 50 percent plus of the snaps if fully healthy. Sampson ran for nearly 1,500 yards last season at Tennessee, but an unfortunate injury that he played through at the end of the season did hurt his draft stock.
Szmyt has a bit of a different story as he won the Lou Groza Award in 2018 as a freshman, then saw his collegiate performance drop over the next three seasons before being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Bears in 202,3 before being waived and moving to the United Football League, where he played for the St. Louis Battlehawks. But after the Browns moved on from Dustin Hopkins, who was a hero in 2023, Szmyt is going to get his chance as an NFL kicker. In a league where so many games are decided by extra points and field goals, he will have a massive impact on this team. Will he prove to Kevin Stefanski that he should be thrown on the field for anything inside of 60 yards? Or will there be struggles and questions on if the team should just go for it with the hesitation of a missed kick?
With no one giving the Browns a chance in 2025, there must be players who overproduce to expectations. We will certainly watch the season unfold, but both Sampson and Szmyt have a great opportunity to prove themselves in year one.