Excitement is building amongst fans, as the Cleveland Browns are set to play starters on offense and defense for at least the first couple of series vs. the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday. This game will wrap up the preseason for the Browns, and they will begin to prepare for Week 1 of the regular season, where they will host the Cincinnati Bengals.
It’s unlikely to see veterans Joel Bitonio and Myles Garrett because the risk of injury isn’t worth it, and I would also say that with Denzel Ward nursing a shoulder injury, it’s highly unlikely to see him. But we will see three players who are expected to have much larger roles in 2025 than ever before, and this will be a great dose of what we could see.
Player No. 3 – Alex Wright, Defensive End
Alex Wright was off to a strong third season for the Browns in 2024 before a triceps injury took him out for the season. Wright was expected to be the third defensive end and losing him was a major slash to the depth chart.
A season later, Wright is healthy and will start the season as the No. 2 defensive end, starting on the opposite side of Garrett. Wright will get a lot of one-on-one opportunities with all of the attention given the Garrett, and has a real opportunity to have a strong season.
We will likely see a very vanilla offense from the Rams, but it will be great to see if Wright has the speed and explosion to be an effective starting end in the NFL.
Player No. 2 – Dylan Sampson, Running Back
We have seen a brief sampling of rookie running back Dylan Sampson this preseason, but I would expect to see him get a handful of touches on Saturday, and it will be exciting to see what he can do.
With the Browns' second-round pick, Quinshon Judkins still unsigned, Sampson is going to be relied on heavily at least to begin the season. A strong performance on Saturday could solidify his spot as the second running back on this roster.
Player No. 1 – Harold Fannin Jr., Tight End
After leading the country in catches and yards for a tight end, there was a ton of excitement about pairing Harold Fannin Jr. with David Njoku, another phenomenal receiving tight end. Throughout camp, we heard and saw videos of how great he’s been, but we haven’t seen him utilized yet in the preseason.
Look how FAST Myles Garrett gets around Dawand Jones (remember, Jones dominated T.J. Watt, just saying 😤).
— The Dawgs - A Cleveland Browns Podcast (@thedawgspodcast) July 28, 2025
Also, it's great to see rookie TE Harold Fannin Jr. involved early and often in training camp. The Browns are definitely going to need his playmaking abilities on offense… pic.twitter.com/bb3jcW7xp7
Is Stefanski hiding him for the regular season? Who knows, but we should at least get a glimpse of him on Saturday, and I would be shocked if Stefanski and Tommy Rees didn’t find a way to get him the ball early with no targets yet in the preseason.
With Fannin and Njoku on the field, the Browns can have a heavy formation with five legitimate receiving targets on the field at the same time.