Browns training camp preview 2025 | Mason Graham among 5 non-quarterbacks under microscope

The Brownsstart training camp in just over three weeks. Less than that, actually, for their quarterbacks and rookies, who report on July 18.

Attention during training camp, which will officially start July 23 with the first on-field practice, will be hyper-focused on the ongoing quarterback competition. What Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and, most of all, Shedeur Sanders do on a daily basis will be the constant topic of conversation.

Although that won't completely overshadow other players and competitions in camp, it's certainly going to suck up a lot of the oxygen in the room. That doesn't minimize the importance of those players or competitions, but it can force some of those into the shadows created by the glare of the quarterback fight.

It's time to bring five of those players into the spotlight. Here's a look at them, including multiple rookies without the last name Sanders who are going to be critical to any success the Browns might enjoy this season.

Mason Graham, defensive tackle

The attention paid to Sanders, the Browns' fifth-round draft pick, has vastly overshadowed the draft's No. 5 overall pick. It's the same pick they acquired when they traded away the opportunity to draft ultra-talented, two-way star Travis Hunter in order to add a first-round pick in 2026. Graham has toiled a bit in the background to this point, although a big part of that can be attributed to format. It's hard for a defensive tackle who's being counted on to create real havoc up front to show all that he can do when the offseason program is limited to no-contact drills in helmets and shorts. Training camp, the joint practices with the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles and all three preseason games are going to remove that cover for Graham. The Browns coaches, including both defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire, have given the rookie some high praise through the offseason program, although acknowledged the adjustment in going from a read-and-react scheme at Michigan to an attacking scheme in Cleveland. This will be the time to show he was worth the massive roll of the dice on draft night.

Dawand Jones, left tackle

Like most on this list, part of what makes Jones intriguing is because the helmet-and-shorts offseason program doesn't allow for anything close to a full assessment. Jones has shown over his first two seasons — when he's been healthy, that is — that he's a more than capable tackle in the NFL. That's been almost exclusively on the right side, save for his final three games in 2024 before a Week 11 broken right fibula when he moved to the left side in place of Jedrick Wills Jr. That move isn't a temporary one for Jones now that Wills is gone and the Browns intend to shift the 2023 fourth-round pick out of Ohio State full-time to left tackle. The 6-foot-8, 374-pound Jones has talked about his own personal weight loss, specifically in body fat, that he believes will aid him in staying healthy. That's half of the equation for Jones, with the other half being his ability to adjust to playing left tackle. This is where the joint practices in Carolina and Philadelphia will be especially big for him to get more high-quality reps before the season starts.

Diontae Johnson, wide receiver

Johnson was a low-risk, high-reward signing by the Browns in late April. The former Pro Bowler with the Pittsburgh Steelers was untouchable on the free-agent market after a 2024 season in which three different teams rid themselves of a player who has 4,738 yards and 28 receiving touchdowns over his first six seasons. That included a stop in Baltimore that ended when he was suspended for a game by the Ravens after refusing to go into the previous game because it was cold. Johnson said the Browns were the only team to show any interest in signing him this offseason. Cleveland needs help at wide receiver behind Jerry Jeudy, which is why they took the roll-of-the-dice chance on Johnson, who's signed to a non-guaranteed $1.7 million deal. Johnson's future in the NFL hinges on him having one of the best training camps of his career.

Carson Schwesinger, linebacker

The second-round pick out of UCLA had a strong offseason program. Now, Schwesinger gets his chance to put some weight — and some physicality — behind that performance. The Browns have essentially addressed the loss of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah for at least the upcoming season because of a neck injury he sustained in Week 8 of last season with a by-committee approach. Multiple players have rotated through, while seemingly every linebacker has worked at all three spots. Schwesinger's the one the Browns have some of the highest hopes for based upon his draft status and what they see as his athletic profile. Linebacker has been a position the Browns have, at least under the current front office, not valued as highly as other spots. They've bucked that trend by taking one in the second round twice since 2020: Owusu-Koramoah in 2021 and now Schwesinger. Owusu-Koramoah was proving he was worth the selection before the injury. That injury now puts pressure on Schwesinger to make it two for two.

Alex Wright, defensive end

A triceps injury that led to season-ending surgery after four games halted what seemed like a potential breakout season for Wright. Although he only had one sack and two quarterback hurries over the four games he played, it was obvious he was becoming a much more reliable player on the Browns defensive line. That was on the heels of a 2023 season that ended with Wright getting 4.5 sacks and 21 total pressures. The 2022 third-round pick out of UAB is coming into the final season of his rookie deal, meaning the Browns will have a decision to make on whether or not to extend him. There's also the presence of third-year pro Isaiah McGuire, another former draft pick trying to carve out substantial time at the same spot as Wright opposite All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett.

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns 2025 training camp preview: 5 non-QBs under microscope