When you look at the Cleveland Browns' roster, you can clearly identify a handful of players who represent obvious breakout candidates heading into the 2025 NFL campaign.
One of them is defensive end Alex Wright.
Now entering his fourth NFL season, Wright has not quite been able to find his groove in spite of showing flashes of brilliance here and there. A torn triceps he suffered after just four games last year did not exactly help his case, either.
Wright's recovery period from the injury has been long, but there is good news on that front: the 24-year-old participated in individual drills without a helmet at Browns organized team activities, indicating that he may be closing in on a full return, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
In the four contests in which he played last season, Wright managed eight tackles and one sack. The year prior, however, he totaled 25 tackles, five sacks and a couple of forced fumbles while playing in 38 percent of the Browns' defensive snaps over 16 games.
Up until this point, Wright has primarily served as a pass-rushing specialist, but with Za'Darius Smith now gone, he should have the opportunity to get more reps next year. Remember: when Cleveland traded Smith at the deadline last November, Wright was already out for the season.
The Browns selected the Alabama-Birmingham product in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft for a reason. Wright is incredibly talented, and so long as he is able to get healthy, he could make a significant impact for Cleveland's defense in 2025.
