{"id":11538,"date":"2025-01-22T23:31:32","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T23:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=11538"},"modified":"2025-01-22T23:31:32","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T23:31:32","slug":"breaking-4-under-the-radar-browns-players-who-shined-in-disappointing-2024-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=11538","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: 4 under-the-radar Browns players who shined in disappointing 2024 season"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Cleveland<\/p>\n

CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 The Browns’ 2024 season didn\u2019t go the way anyone planned, a big reason they are picking No. 2 overall and why much of the roster\u2019s long-term potential is being called into question.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t mean there weren\u2019t positives from the season, and a few players differentiated themselves \u2014 or at least showed they have a role as this roster enters its next phase.<\/p>\n

You know about the core players like Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward and Jerry Jeudy. Some other under-the-radar players showed they deserve a role on this roster in 2025<\/p>\n

<\/section>\n
Here are a few names:<\/div>\n

Jerome Ford<\/b><\/h2>\n

He\u2019s not the answer at running back, but he\u2019s part of the answer.<\/p>\n

The Browns\u2019 offense lacked explosive plays this season and when they did get them, it was either Jeudy or Ford with the ball. Ford accounted for four of the nine longest offensive plays in 2024 \u2014 Jeudy had three and the other two were passes to Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman \u2014 and he and Jeudy had the top four longest offensive plays this season.<\/p>\n

Running back is an area where the Browns need to make an investment, either in free agency, the draft or both. Running the ball is cool again in the NFL and the offense and Kevin Stefanski got too far from their roots, ranking 23rd in rushing yards per play.<\/p>\n

Ford, a fifth-round pick in 2022, has always had some boom-or-bust to his game and isn\u2019t necessarily a bell cow back, but his ability to cut and go in the run game and make plays catching the ball makes him a valuable asset in the running back room, especially given he has one year remaining on his rookie deal. He\u2019ll count $3,405,537 against the cap in 2025, a reasonable number for one of the few players currently on the roster who can turn a handoff or a short pass into a big gain.<\/p>\n

Jordan Hicks<\/b><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\"4<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>
Browns linebacker Jordan Hicks offered stability and leadership on defense.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 32-year-old linebacker was one of the Browns\u2019 most reliable defenders when he was on the field. He missed five games this season, but the former Super Bowl champion with the Eagles and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz still finished third on the team in tackles and had two sacks.<\/p>\n

More importantly, he filled the leadership void left by Anthony Walker Jr.\u2019s departure in free agency last offseason, and was versatile and reliable after Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was lost for the season in Week 8 against Baltimore.<\/p>\n

The Browns turned to a number of young linebackers to help fill the void left by Owusu-Koramoah, but it was Hicks who was a steadying presence throughout the year, and his $4.158 million cap number for 2025 is well worth having him in the locker room and in the middle of the defense.<\/p>\n

Jack Conklin<\/b><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\"4<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>
Browns right tackle Jack Conklin reminded people why he was such a coveted free agent signing.John Kuntz, cleveland.com<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There might not be a bigger example of a player who solidified his value than Conklin last season. The Browns managed to get by without him in 2023 thanks to strong play from then-rookie Dawand Jones after Conklin was lost for the season in Week 1. But Jones struggled when he returned from his own season-ending injury this season and the offensive line was a mess.<\/p>\n

Conklin, whose return was delayed by a hamstring injury, finally made it back Week 6 in Philadelphia and played every snap in 11 of the 12 remaining games, including every snap from Week 8 on.<\/p>\n

His high level of play doesn\u2019t come cheap. He signed a four-year extension near the end of the 2022 season and has cap hits of $19,114,059 in 2025 and of $19.467 million in 2026. With no guaranteed money left, renegotiating his deal seems likely if the Browns want to keep their 30-year-old anchor on the right side, one of GM Andrew Berry\u2019s first and most successful free agent signings.<\/p>\n

With questions at left tackle and the future of left guard Joel Bitonio still unclear, creating more holes on the line doesn\u2019t seem wise, especially if the Browns break in a rookie quarterback at some point next season.<\/p>\n

Corey Bojorquez<\/b><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\"4<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>
In a season when the offense was very bad, at least the punter was very good.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Browns had one of the league\u2019s worst offenses in 2024, so their punter had plenty of opportunities to prove his value.<\/p>\n

Bojorquez was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate and proved a valuable weapon. He helped set up a game-clinching safety in Jacksonville in Week 2 and regularly boomed punts that either died or went out of bounds before reaching the end zone, or gave his coverage units a chance to down them.<\/p>\n

The Browns\u2019 special teams went in the tank for most of the season, but Bojorquez was a bright spot and should continue to provide the defense a field position advantage next season, too.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From explosive plays to defensive leadership, these players stepped up for the Browns despite underwhelming results.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cleveland-browns"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING: 4 under-the-radar Browns players who shined in disappointing 2024 season - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=11538\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: 4 under-the-radar Browns players who shined in disappointing 2024 season - 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