The Cleveland Browns have their new offensive coordinator in Tommy Rees. The organization resisted wholesale change in the wake of a 3-14 season, and after a few weeks to reflect and talk through things, it’s time for the focus to turn to draft evaluations and contract planning.

We know the Browns will likely add two quarterbacks, at least one via the draft. As for the rest? We’re waiting to see. In more than a couple of spots, there aren’t easy answers as Cleveland navigates the salary cap and decides which players to retain, both for 2025 and potentially longer.

GO DEEPER Browns’ ‘sharp’ new OC Tommy Rees sees things through a wider lensWith contract numbers by Over The Cap and a projected 2025 salary cap of $272.5 million, the Browns should be around $3 million under the cap headed toward the official March 12 start of the new league year with the rollover of their 2024 cap money. Deletions and contract adjustments can (and will) happen before then. Though the Browns will need around $15 million in free space to sign this year’s draft class, per the league’s rookie pool rules, the reported December restructure of Deshaun Watson’s contract sets the team up for another restructuring that would free up around $35 million in 2025 cap space.

So, the Browns will have some flexibility and have repeatedly shown that they’ll backload and rework deals to make pieces fit. We won’t know the exact numbers or number of necessary moves regarding the current roster for a few weeks.

Which moves are more necessary than others? Where do the Browns go in trying to add new energy (and depth) to a roster that started last season as the most expensive in NFL history? I have some gut feelings to share as we inch closer toward decisions being made, and my early thoughts on a few of them are below.

These mostly aren’t predictions; they’re general opinions mixed in the framework of some of the key big-picture decisions the team will make along the path to March’s player movement period and April’s draft.

The big move

I’d be willing to trade Myles Garrett. I’d be discreet about it in the coming weeks and be reluctant to do it for anything less than an exorbitant return, but I’d be seeking that return from a willing team. It might be out there.

The quarterback-less and generally directionless Browns are in the middle stages of the fallout of one of the worst trades in NFL history. To me, the best path ahead would be a roster reset that includes adding premium draft picks and intentionally getting younger and, at least temporarily, cheaper. With the Browns already holding pick Nos. 2 and 33 atop a pile of 12 potential draft choices, I’d call everything involved with the Watson experiment a loss and begin pointing forward.

I know taking on dead money is a necessary part of things as teams build their rosters and stretch out contracts. And I know the annual ability to roll over salary-cap dollars combined with projections that the cap will continue rising make it so teams can quickly maneuver their way out of cap-related situations that look to be unhealthy. But teams doing that need to have key players at important positions, and they need to have young (and inexpensive) players in the roster pipeline.

When I look at the Browns’ roster commitments, I see a few paths that lead to a quick turnaround. I see an aging offensive line, not enough skill position talent and a defense with cornerstones in Garrett and Denzel Ward, but some question marks throughout the depth chart.

What I would do is be unafraid to add to the already growing pile of dead money on the cap this year, look to add more early draft picks in 2025 and 2026, and then seek out the best routes involving the team’s talented but aging offensive linemen and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. Continuing to push money forward hasn’t helped the Browns recoup any draft picks they gave up for Watson, and the awful 2024 offseason (Jerry Jeudy being the notable exception) didn’t offer much help or promise for the future.

If the Browns want to get back to outspending everyone as their primary strategy in 2026 and beyond, that’s great. They just went 3-14 with a worse point differential than they had when they finished 0-16 in 2017. This current roster has too many holes and too many players — Garrett is an obvious exception — who have bloated and backloaded contracts.

I’d start to shed money and shape the future roster the best I could with the acknowledgment that the planning of the past few years didn’t work. The best hope going forward is simply to draft the right quarterback. That’s how teams change their fortunes, immediately and over the long haul.

He’s (probably) here

I don’t think there’s much chance the Browns actually trade Garrett. Teams will call, and Cleveland might listen, but the four-time first-team All-Pro taking his frustrations public in December was probably part human reaction to the Browns’ crash and part negotiating tactic. If Garrett, 29, tells the Browns he’ll be happier in Cleveland if he’s the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, then they might have to oblige. He’s currently signed through 2026.

So what does the first stage of the offseason probably look like? The Browns find a bridge quarterback, give Garrett a raise and extension (potentially lowering his current 2025 cap number of $19.7 million), try to rework Jack Conklin’s contract to keep him, then decide how they view Tomlinson, David Njoku and Wyatt Teller not just for next season, but beyond with Njoku and Teller currently signed only through 2025.

Conklin’s situation is a little sticky because his guarantees have been paid and the Browns could save $14 million on their 2025 cap by cutting him with a post-June 1 designation. The Browns probably don’t want to lose Conklin, though, and don’t have a clear answer going forward at either right tackle or left tackle with Jedrick Wills Jr. headed for free agency off two injury-shortened seasons and Dawand Jones having finished a second straight season on injured reserve.

Conklin, 30, came back from a third major knee injury to play well last season. Joel Bitonio has said he’s yet to make any decisions on his playing future, but his linemates said in December they believe Bitonio, 33, wants to play one more year. The six-time Pro Bowler is signed through next season.

To get back to the rookie quarterback, finding the right one remains the key to the whole operation. I think the Browns are waiting to find out exactly what Watson’s cap numbers will be in 2025 and 2026, but it’s clear the team is ready to move on and will officially do so in early 2026. How much money — and how many real options — the team will have when it comes to finding a veteran quarterback in March remains uncertain for now. The Browns recouping some of Watson’s guarantees feels unlikely, but insurance on the contract should give the team money back in 2026 and some small cap relief.

GO DEEPER The Browns gave Deshaun Watson what he wanted. Now they’re paying the priceGiven that general manager Andrew Berry was fairly adamant that the Browns won’t be taking on a major rebuild, I think it’s fair to think they can try to mix some instant fixes with some long-term decisions in the coming months, then play out the first four to seven weeks of the season to gauge the team’s progress and standing. In the unlikely event that the Browns are willing to deal Garrett, they might get some buyers in October — but an extension before then would eliminate all trade possibilities.

Looking much further down the roster, October might also be the best time for the Browns to trade cornerback Greg Newsome II, whose $13.3 million contract for 2025 is fully guaranteed. But for now, it feels like the Browns will proceed like they’re resisting the thought of again being sellers at the 2025 trade deadline. The Browns could end up with five sixth-round selections in this year’s draft after compensatory picks are awarded, so the team could trade a couple of those away in March to acquire veteran players who have been priced out or replaced by their current teams.

With the Browns not revealing much about Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s injury status going forward, keep an eye on how the linebacker spot is addressed in March and April. The Browns cutting safety Juan Thornhill feels inevitable, and they’ll have to make decisions on older players such as Jordan Hicks ($4.1 million cap number) and Shelby Harris ($2.9 million).

What about the draft?

To me, the Browns are almost forced to start the draft with a quarterback in the first round and a left tackle in the second. Those are premium positions that generally are best addressed with premium selections, and Cleveland has glaring needs at both spots.

I think it’s too early for the team to be locked in on any small group of players or any defined draft plans. But that will change quickly with the Senior Bowl next week and the NFL Scouting Combine beginning in late February. I find it unlikely that the team could find a real answer at quarterback via the March scrap heap. So drafting the next guy is probably the smart plan that’s also the near-mandatory play.

Take a lineman? Trade down and/or wait for Round 2? End up selecting two-way talent Travis Hunter? I just think with the way things have gone and the importance of the position, the Browns almost have to select a quarterback early in the first round and do the best possible job on the coaching, personnel and development fronts to support him.

If Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski feel they have to get back to the playoffs in 2025 to keep their jobs, that could lead to the team taking on more money via bad free-agent acquisitions. The flip side of that is finding the right veteran quarterback with upside could be the fastest path back to the postseason. I’m just not sure who the right answer might be. There’s plenty of time to dive further into the Browns’ needs and potential priorities, but it’s clear that the drafting in recent years hasn’t been good enough.

GO DEEPER Browns QB tracker: Which veteran options in free agency could be intriguing?

Other issues

My guess is when March rolls around, the Browns and Nick Chubb’s representation will let it be known with some sort of carefully worded yet vague message that the sides plan to revisit a potential contract later in the spring after the team makes more pressing financial decisions. With what’s being heralded as an excellent running back draft class and a lean free-agent market, there’s just not going to be either much money or a guaranteed opportunity for older backs in the early stages of the offseason.

If Chubb is healthy, he can help a team in a committee backfield. By waiting, he’ll have time to get healthier and pick his best spot. We don’t yet know if the Browns will be the best spot — and we also don’t know if they’ll be a real AFC contender. That’s what Chubb should be looking for: a playoff team he can help as the No. 2 (or No. 1B) runner. The Browns will have Jerome Ford in the final year of his rookie deal and presumably will also have a rookie runner as part of a remade offense after the draft, so it makes sense for all involved to wait.

With this draft class deep at tight end and running back and the Browns lined up to have 12 picks, they’ll have to make additions at those two spots. The wide receiver room needs more speed and depth, too, but I’m not sure I’d prioritize that over the offensive line. There are wide receivers in every draft. It’s not supposed to be as hard to find a couple of good ones — and one who can actually catch punts — as the Browns have made it appear to be.

(Photo: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)

Zac Jackson is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Cleveland Browns. He is also the host of the “Zac Jackson and Friends” podcast. Previously, Zac covered the Browns for Fox Sports Ohio and worked for Pro Football Talk. Follow Zac on Twitter @AkronJackson