BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns put an end to questions about their quarterback situation -- in the present, at least -- when they named Joe Flacco the starter for Week 1.
However, there is uncertainty regarding who will step up as playmakers for the 40-year-old passer.
The Browns have a pair of former Pro Bowlers in wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and tight end David Njoku, the latter of whom had his best season catching passes from Flacco in the 2023 season. Elsewhere, Cleveland is looking for someone to emerge in the backfield and hoping for a cast of young players to step up in the passing game.
"I feel good about these guys, man," Flacco said after the Browns' preseason finale. "They're talented players, and I think you all know we're pretty talented up front. So, if we can get everybody rolling and feeling good about it, then I think we should be pretty confident heading into Week 1."
A big focus for the Browns' offense has been returning to the scheme that Kevin Stefanski operated in his first few seasons as head coach and playcaller. A staple of that is running the ball effectively, and there is plenty of room for improvement after averaging 94.6 rushing yards per game last season, which was fourth-lowest figure in the league.
Cleveland opted not to re-sign franchise great Nick Chubb, who joined the Houston Texans, but the Browns added Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson in the draft. Judkins, though, has not been with the team through training camp as he handled a legal matter after he was arrested on a misdemeanor domestic violence and battery charge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on July 12. Prosecutors in mid-August announced that they would not formally charge Judkins, but he remains unsigned as the NFL investigates the alleged incident. The team has not provided any update on when Judkins could join the team.
When Judkins was selected with the No. 36 pick, assistant general manager Catherine Hickman likened his skill set to Chubb's.
"His physicality, his contact balance, the way he runs with strength is something I've seen in Nick as an example," Hickman said. " ... This style of play is just going to fit very nicely with what we're trying to do."
The Browns kept just two running backs -- Sampson and fourth-year back Jerome Ford -- on their 53-man roster but Stefanski said Tuesday that an addition will be made before Week 1. Ford has plenty of experience filling in the past two years when Chubb was injured and has been a big-play threat -- his 5.4 yards per rush would have ranked fifth in the league last season if he had enough carries to qualify -- and a trusted third-down back.
"He's a guy that has the home run ability at any moment's notice with his speed," Stefanski said. "I think he's gotten better over the course of his career. A bunch of different areas, including blitz pickup, the pass game, those type of things."
The Browns view Sampson, a fourth-round pick, as a physical runner despite his size -- 5-foot-8, 200 pounds -- who has "untapped potential in the passing game," according to general manager Andrew Berry. Sampson showed that growth in the preseason finale, catching a short pass on third down and shrugging off a defender's tackle as he picked up 14 yards.
"Dylan is able to go play in the slot, and also he's able to go and play on third down, and maybe sprinkling a little second down," running backs coach Duce Staley said.
At wide receiver, the Browns need multiple pass catchers to assert themselves as reliable options opposite Jeudy, who last season had a breakout year with 1,229 receiving yards. Cedric Tillman and Jamari Thrash are listed as starters in Cleveland's latest unofficial depth chart and have spent the duration of training camp with the starting offense. Tillman, a 2023 third-round pick, has 50 career receptions and at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, provides Flacco with a big-bodied presence. Thrash, a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft, caught only three passes as a rookie but has been one of the standouts in camp and is expected to step into a role as the team's slot receiver.
Cleveland also made a late addition to the position room in undrafted rookie Isaiah Bond, a former University of Texas standout. The Browns signed Bond last week, days after a grand jury declined to indict him on a sexual assault charge. Bond played nine snaps in the preseason finale, all in the first half with the starters and second-team offense, but wasn't targeted. The Browns, though, have been getting him up to speed with the hopes that he can contribute sooner rather than later.
"Anytime you bring that kind of speed to an offense, it can help a lot of things out," Flacco said of Bond, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds. "Run game, short passing game. I think when you have a guy like Jerry on the other side who we have a lot of confidence can win against anybody, it makes it harder for defenses to pay more attention to him and things like that. So yeah, it can open up all kinds of possibilities."
The biggest addition, though, to the passing game could come from rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. When the Browns selected him in the third round, Berry referred to him as the "queen on the chessboard" because of his ability to line up in different parts of the field. Fannin was on the field for all 17 snaps with the starting offense and lined up not only as a traditional tight end but in the slot, out wide and in the backfield. On his 15-yard touchdown catch, he lined up like a wide receiver and ran a slant route.
Njoku is the Browns' starting tight end, but the Browns used 12 personnel -- which features two tight ends -- on 23.8% of plays in Stefanski's first two seasons as head coach, the ninth-highest rate in the league. Fannin will be a de facto starter in Cleveland's offense.
"I think he's going to be a hell of a player and an important piece for us," Flacco said.