The moment has finally arrived, and the Cleveland Browns’ first preseason game for the 2025 season is here.

Let me just preface this by saying the preseason doesn’t mean anything, as any of the past ones have told us as Cleveland Browns fans. There were those times when we thought Colt McCoy and Brandon Weeden looked like franchise quarterbacks or when Deshone Kizer looked like a steal as a second-round draft pick, only to be led to disappointment and failure.

Even though it doesn’t mean anything, we’ll still sit down and watch the games, and that’s why I’m going to tell you, fellow Browns fans to keep an eye on some of these players tonight, as they could or could not ultimately make an impact for the 2025 Cleveland Browns on both sides of the ball aside from the obvious names people are anticipating to see on the field (Shedeur Sanders, Mason Graham, Carson Schwesinger).

Offense

Gage Larvadain and Luke Floriea, Wide Receivers

Despite a crowded wide receiver room headlined by Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman, these two names have been in plenty of the discussions surrounding the offense during training camp.

The most likely scenario is that both will be on the 16-man practice squad, but they will be targeted early and often during Friday night’s game, as they both have been targets for Shedeur Sanders during drills. Both are undersized guys, but have solid hands and the speed to make a big play downfield.

Luke Wypler, Center

Wypler is going to be an interesting watch if you’re a fan of watching the trenches.

Ethan Pocic is entering his final season and could be a surprise training camp cut, as we’ve seen throughout the years in the NFL.

Wypler is back after recovering from a season-ending ankle injury that he suffered in the preseason opener against Green Bay last season. His third season could prove to be a big one if opportunities come calling with the offensive line potentially undergoing a multi-year makeover and a youth movement happening with a very important part of the Browns’ offense.

Blake Whiteheart, Tight End

Much of the focus on the tight end room has been on rookie Harold Fannin Jr. but Whiteheart could make some noise as the third tight end if he beats out Brendan Bates and others on the back end of the position group.

Whiteheart played sporadically in 2024 behind David Njoku and Jordan Atkins, getting targeted nine times and making six catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. His blocking is something that will need improvement because when he was a pass blocker, he gave up 13 pressures on 15 pass-blocking snaps.

Defense

The Cornerback Room

As I wrote about it last week in the wake of Martin Emerson’s season-ending injury, the cornerback room has become one group to watch throughout the rest of training camp and the preseason.

Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome are locked in, but it will be interesting to see who is going to step up in place of Emerson. Cameron Mitchell is entering Year 3 and is currently the man projected to be the nickel corner with Newsome sliding back to the outside.

You also have guys like Nik Needham, Myles Harden, Chigozie Anusiem who will have their opportunities to make their case to buy some playing time in the 2025 regular season.

Tony Brown II is another name to watch because he could be considered a lock because of his special-teams expertise, but how he handles getting cornerback snaps in the preseason could tip the scale on how much of a lock he is.

Jowon Briggs, Defensive Tackle

Briggs showed some potential down the stretch in 2024 when injuries forced the Browns to play the seventh-round pick out of Cincinnati. In 133 snaps, Briggs recorded 14 total tackles, one QB hit, and four pressures. Now entering Year 2, it isn’t a lock that the 23-year-old makes the roster with four defensive tackles in front of him.

He’ll also be competing with Sam Kamara, who has the versatility to play both EDGE and DT and has been hanging around the organization the last few seasons. If the Browns keep five defensive tackles, that’ll be the two guys fighting for that fifth spot.

Nathaniel Watson, Linebacker

There was a lot of hype for the 2024 sixth-round pick, but because of injuries and a fluctuating roster spot, we didn’t get to see a lot out of the former SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

Now back for Year 2, his spot on the roster isn’t a lock, so the preseason will be his platform to prove he belongs on the Browns roster and that he can make an impact in the linebacker room.

He’ll have a tough road with Winston Reid and Mohamoud Diabate also fighting for snaps just as much as Watson is but competition brings out the best in everyone and this one for the last linebacker spots will be one everyone should keep an eye on.