Browns Report Card: Grading the position groups vs. the Carolina Panthers

The first preseason game of 2025 is in the books for the Cleveland Browns. Thanks to three touchdown drives by quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the Browns took down the Carolina Panthers with a 30-10 final score. Despite not playing their starters, the Browns’ second and third teams looked sharp in their 2025 matchup.

Carolina started the game with their first-team defense and offense, a challenge the Browns handled well. The Cleveland defense did a fantastic job of shutting down the Panthers after starting quarterback Bryce Young and the starters finished the night with an impressive touchdown drive. After this, Cleveland dominated the remaining three quarters of the game with a strong performance from their defensive line.

On offense, all the buzz surrounded rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders and his impressive NFL debut. Despite having limited weapons due to the starters resting, Sanders still had a very impressive day throwing the ball. He was able to find multiple receivers, including undrafted free agent Gage Larvadain, who had a terrific debut.

Now, let’s take a look at the Browns’ position grades after their preseason debut against the Carolina Panthers:

Quarterbacks: B+

Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders was the talk of the NFL, and maybe the general sports world, during his Browns debut. The Browns started Sanders with a mix of second- and third-team offensive players against the Panthers’ first-team defense. Even still, Sanders prevailed and impressed many observers. After his third touchdown drive of the game, he finished with a 60% completion rate, 138 yards, and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Tyler “Snoop” Huntley entered the game in the third quarter and had an exceptional day as well, recording 51 yards and a touchdown on six of eight pass attempts.

Sanders appeared to be cool, calm, and collected throughout the majority of the Browns’ preseason opener. He did an excellent job of keeping his eyes downfield, making the most of broken plays, and avoiding sacks whenever necessary. He is expected to see fewer snaps in the second preseason game due to the probable return of quarterbacks Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel. Nonetheless, Shedeur Sanders made the most of his opportunity, with plenty of noise from the media to follow.

Running backs: C+

It was a slow day in terms of individual performances from the Browns’ running backs, but the team’s overall rushing attack proved to be moderately successful against the Panthers. Fourth-round pick Dylan Sampson got the starting nod with a very limited amount of action and was followed up by various Browns running backs. At the end of the day, UDFA Ahmani Marshall led the team in carries with eight attempts for 32 yards.

Despite the slow individual performances, the game plan for the run game showed life for the Browns. Cleveland’s running backs ended with a team total of 125 rushing yards for 3.9 yards per carry and a rushing touchdown by wide receiver Gabe Larvadain. In terms of individuals, fans will hope to see more action from rookie Dylan Sampson in the next preseason matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: C+

Sitting the starters in the preseason opener allowed the Browns to evaluate some of their depth talent at wide receiver and tight end. One of the immediate standouts was UDFA wide receiver Gage Larvadain, who collected two highlight receptions and a rushing touchdown in his Browns debut. Other standouts were tight end Cade McDonald and wide receiver Kaden Davis, who secured two touchdowns of their own.

The Browns will not shy away from wide receiver talent blossoming in the preseason. Training camp standout Luke Floriea also had a stellar one-handed grab on a pass from Shedeur Sanders that made the game’s highlight reel. Overall, there were good performances that some of these younger players can build on with hopes of making the 53-man roster.

Offensive Line: B-

The Browns’ backup offensive line members had expected results throughout this preseason matchup. Shedeur Sanders faced a disrupted pocket early and often, which he managed to escape from multiple times. Even still, the offensive line unit managed to give up only two sacks to the Panthers and led the running backs to over 100 team rushing yards.

Zak Zinter was one name that was missing for the Browns’ offensive line and their overall trip to Carolina. He hopes to return for Week 2 of the preseason and catch up to others who have already made a positive impact on their chances of making the roster. Despite this, there were some encouraging individual performances throughout this game.

Defensive Line: A-

The return of defensive end Alex Wright was on full display in the first quarter of this game. The Browns’ fourth-year draft pick suffered a season-ending injury last year that forced him to miss almost all of 2024. Now that he’s back, he continued a strong campaign with multiple visits to the backfield and a sack against quarterback Bryce Young. Another standout for the Browns was veteran Julian Okwara, who collected two sacks and made a huge impact during this victory.

Overall, the PFF grades also tell a story that it was a successful night for Cleveland’s strongest position group. The team ended with five of these players securing at least a 60.0 overall PFF grade for their respective playing time. The preseason predictions have so far been proven right: this is the least worrisome position group that the Browns have.

Linebackers: B

Rookie linebacker and highly touted draft pick Carson Schwessinger made his presence known in his NFL preseason debut. In this game, his play earned the best PFF defensive grade of the Browns’ roster with a 91.4, rated as “elite” on their scale. Veteran returning linebacker Winston Reid also had a consistently solid game with four tackles and a 67.7 overall grade according to PFF.

The spotlight was, of course, on the Browns’ rookie defenders, but it was a solid start for the linebacker group. Last year, the team was consistently one of the better position groups in 2024. Being able to combine that performance level with the talent of the Cleveland defensive line could pose a significant challenge for opponents in the upcoming regular season.

Defensive Backs: B-

After the Panthers’ first-team offense left the field, it was a much better day for the Browns’ secondary. Cleveland allowed first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan to have a couple of nice grabs in his debut, and one drop that should have resulted in a Carolina touchdown. The highlight play from this group came in the third quarter thanks to defensive back Nik Needham, who intercepted Andy Dalton on one of the most acrobatic plays we’ll see this preseason.

Needham stood out as the best defender from this group, thanks to his interception and an 84.9 overall PFF grade, which ranked third among Browns defenders in this matchup. He’ll look to continue building off of this performance, along with others who impressed, like Chris Edmonds, LaMareon James, and more.

This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Cleveland Browns Report Card from preseason game against Panthers