Last season was not one to write home about for the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland largely struggled to land victories, as the Browns too often got into their own way on offense, had issues on special teams at various points, and did not get the job done.
Cleveland would finish out the 2025 campaign with a 5-12 record, and again finished in the basement of the AFC North. Unfortunately, that’s not something Browns fans have been unfamiliar with since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999.
Even with what looks to be a strong 2026 draft class, many of those on the outside believe there will be more growing pains for Cleveland. In a recent piece by Bleacher Report, Kristopher Knox had a 5-12 forecast for Todd Monken in his first year with the Browns as head coach, citing the potential for Deshaun Watson starting over Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel as a potential doomsday scenario.
“Given what we’ve seen from Watson as a member of the Browns, it’ll be hard to have high expectations in Cleveland,” Knox wrote. “And with Watson emerging as the early front-runner, it’s fair to wonder if the Browns will be trying to win in 2026 or if they’re setting the table for a 2027 QB target.”
Cleveland’s upgraded roster is being overshadowed by one familiar concern
Knox and others not having high expectations for Cleveland is a fair assessment for now. The Browns have been allergic to sustained success, and it’s going to be an uphill battle for Monken and company this next season ahead. Even with the reinforcements for the Browns and the latest draft class being a promising one, the QB position has all kinds of question marks, which is not something one can gloss over.
Those things aside, Cleveland should be far more competent than the past couple of seasons on the offensive line with Spencer Fano and trade acquisition Tytus Howard involved. That should help Judkins and the run game.
Now, despite the QB questions, whether Watson or Sanders end up playing more (it’d seem Sanders will eventually), the protection for the passer for Cleveland should be much improved, too, which is no small thing. And with that, combined with a better set of pass catchers with KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston around Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland should at least have a higher floor in the pass game.
All things considered, while the Browns and their new faces will have to prove it week-in and week-out on the field, it would seem realistic for Cleveland to be more than capable of having two to three more wins than last year. Cleveland will not be traveling nearly as much as some other teams, including their AFC North rivals, as the Benglas, Ravens, and Steelers all drew international games.
With Berry moves in the offseason so far, Cleveland should be dynamic offensively and more consistent on the margins. If that plays out, with Cleveland’s already menacing defense potentially generating more opportunities for its offense, that recipe could bode fairly well.
Plus, in an AFC North with some questions about each team maybe more than in recent prior years, the Browns could definitely be more viable than many think. If Cleveland can’t improve its win total at all from last season, that would be really disappointing.
The possibility of targeting a QB in next year’s draft could be part of the thought process for that expectation from Knox. However, if this Cleveland team is reasonably healthy at key spots for the most part, the Browns should be more competent in 2026. That should result in a few more wins.
In fairness, this is the Browns, though. Time will tell.
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