Out of necessity, the Browns got younger and kept 12 rookies on their 53 roster

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

The Browns of 2025 might be captained by a 40-year-old quarterback, but otherwise they are younger, fresher and … less experienced.

Twelve rookies made the 53 roster, helping to reduce the overall average of the team from 26.60 years in 2024 (ranked 24^th) to 26.15 in 2025 (14^th).

The Browns got old when they made the trade for Deshaun Watson. For two reasons: 1. They gave up three first-round draft picks for Watson, and then traded two second-round picks in separate deals from 2022-24; and 2. They loaded up on veterans to fill roster gaps, thinking their Super Bowl window was open.

So, a high priority this year was to infuse youth onto the roster.

Rookies on low, rookie contracts also help mitigate “dead cap” space as a result of high-priced veteran players come and gone. The Browns rank sixth this year with more than $71 million in salary cap space devoted to players no longer on the team.

The Browns also will have salary cap charges in excess of $133 million over the next two years as a result of restructuring Watson’s contract for four consecutive years.

So now the Browns have to “dig out of that hole,” as owner Jimmy Haslam articulated in March at NFL owner meetings.

“We're going to be patient, and we're going to try to accumulate as many really good football players as we can,” Haslam asserted

Andrew Berry took that directive to heart. He had his best draft in six years as Browns GM and added six rookies who weren’t even drafted to the roster.

Here’s a look at the 12 Browns rookies and their probable roles as the season kicks off. That number could increase to 13 when running back Quinshon Judkins rejoins the team after the NFL rules on a possible suspension for violating the league personal conduct policy.

1. Defensive tackle Mason Graham. First-round pick, No. 5 overall.

Graham will start at defensive tackle alongside veteran tackle Maliek Collins. Sometimes he will line up next to right end Myles Garrett and sometimes next to left end Alex Wright. He has adjusted from the Michigan two-gap, read-and-react philosophy to Jim Schwartz’s attack-the-quarterback system. “Mason is a helluva player, he’s a helluva learner,” said Wright. “The way he’s eager to learn and eager to get better just shows a lot about him. I can’t wait to see him play on Sunday.”

2. Linebacker Carson Schwesinger. Second-round pick, No. 33 overall.

Schwesinger won the media vote as most outstanding rookie in training camp, but that was the least of his accolades. The middle linebacker from UCLA, a rare combination of brain and brawn, was given the “green dot” responsibility of echoing calls voiced in his radio helmet by Schwartz and making sure the defense is lined up right. His latest accolade came from cornerback Greg Newsome. “I haven’t seen a rookie come in to have the green dot and know the stuff that he knows in a very long time,” Newsome said. “That’s a guy that has earned everyone’s respect … a guy that’s gonna make a ton of plays for us and guy deserving of that starting MIKE [middle linebacker position].”

3. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Third-round pick, No. 67 overall.

He caught nearly everything in minicamp and training camp after leading all FBS players in 2024 with 117 receptions and 1,555 yards at Bowling Green. Fannin may line up anywhere and should get a lot of snaps in Kevin Stefanski’s two-tight end offensive system.

4. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Third-round pick, No. 94 overall.

Overshadowed by Shedeur Sanders and scorned by Sanders’ legions of cult-like followers for usurping his reps, Gabriel validated the Browns’ original evaluation by earning the QB2 job. He sealed the role with a veteran-like, 2-minute drive in the final preseason game.

5. Running back Dylan Sampson. Fourth-round pick, No. 126 overall.

Smaller than Judkins (5-8 and 200 pounds), he figures to rotate with Jerome Ford in a back-by-committee approach until Judkins arrives. He has to prove he can pick up a blitz before being trusted on third downs. He’s one of the youngest players in the NFL in 2025, turning 21 on September 14.

6. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Fifth-round pick, No. 144 overall.

The most famous fifth-round pick in NFL history begins his career as the team’s emergency QB3 on game days. A tired arm and oblique muscle injury quelled his attempt to gain more practice reps and gain ground on Gabriel. An awful outing in the last preseason game may have influenced the Browns to re-sign Bailey Zappe to the practice squad as insurance at QB.

7. Receiver Isaiah Bond. Undrafted.

Projected as a second-day (second or third round) draft pick after production at Alabama and Texas, an arrest on charges of domestic battery two weeks before the draft resulted in Bond being undrafted. Berry showed support during Bond’s legal process and when Bond was cleared, he repaid Berry by signing with the Browns. Bond’s 4.39 40 clocking at the Combine was disappointing to Bond, but it easily makes him the fastest Brown.

8. Receiver Gage Larvadain. Undrafted.

One of several receivers signed to accommodate the cumbersome four-QB “competition,” Larvadain quickly separated from the pack and consistently made plays at practice and in preseason games. Only 5-8 and 171 pounds, Larvadain established a rapport with all four QBs in camp and earned a 53 spot.

9. Defensive tackle Adin Huntington. Undrafted.

The 6-1, 290-pounder wowed at the Combine with a 4.64 40 and 38 in. vertical leap and then backed it up by leading the Browns in preseason with 2.5 sacks and finishing second with 11 total tackles. The former Kent Stater is the epitome of what Schwartz seeks in a defensive tackle.

10. Running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders. Undrafted.

Sanders was waived by the Chargers at their 53 cut and claimed by the Browns as they await an NFL ruling on Judkins. He was a teammate of Larvadain at South Carolina in 2024. The biggest back currently on the roster (6-1, 217), Sanders likely will break in as a short-yardage ball-carrier.

11. Linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold. Undrafted.

The former Oregon State and USC linebacker might have been the most under rater keeper on the 53. He took advantage of injuries to veteran linebackers and led the team with 17 total tackles in preseason.

12. Safety Donovan McMillon. Undrafted.

The former Florida Gator and Pitt Panther was impressive enough to make the 53 as the fifth safety.