OTL: AFC North Preview – Cleveland Browns

Not many NFL teams saw as much change this offseason as did the Cleveland Browns.

— Kevin Stefanski was shown the front door after six seasons and two Coach of the Year awards.

— Highly respected defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was passed over for the vacant head coaching position, ultimately leading to his departure in February.

— Just when everything seemed like it couldn’t get worse in Cleveland, general manager Andrew Berry turned around and sent 2x Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, to the L.A Rams in exchange for some picks and Jared Verse.

There are plenty of question marks surrounding the Browns organization entering 2026, but will they provide much competition in the AFC North?

Quarterback Question Marks

There hasn’t been a team in the NFL that has started more quarterbacks since 1999 than the Cleveland Browns. They’ve suited up 42 different starting quarterbacks, an almost unbelievable number. In the 2025 draft alone, the Browns selected two quarterbacks, Dillon Gabriel (3rd Round) and Shedeur Sanders (5th Round). Both rookies got their respective chances to win the starting position, with neither really pulling away as the clear favorite. Former Raven Joe Flacco was named the starter out of camp last season, before being benched in Week 5 for Gabriel. Across five starts, Gabriel managed just a 1-4 record before a concussion against Baltimore in Week 11 would sideline him, giving Sanders the opportunity to take over as QB1. The third round pick finished the 2025 campaign with 937 yards, 7 TDs, and 2 INTs, on a worrisome 59.5% completion percentage.

Sanders wasn’t much of a difference-maker for Cleveland, other than lifting up the spirits of a frustrated fan base. After taking over for Gabriel in the loss to Baltimore, Sanders would finish the season with a 3-4 record, including a critical win for the Ravens over Pittsburgh in Week 17. His stats, however, were nothing to write home about. Across his eight appearances, Sanders recorded 1,400 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and an eye-popping 18.9 QBR.

Despite investing in two rookies in last season’s draft, Cleveland has also welcomed back their $230 million quarterback, Deshaun Watson, who’s returning from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in the 2024 season. It’s hard to imagine a world in which the Browns don’t give Watson a true look as their QB1, as the nine-year veteran (about to be 10) is set to make $46 million guaranteed next season. Head coach Todd Monken has made it known that all three quarterbacks will compete throughout training camp for the starting spot, with many believing it’s between Sanders and Watson.

Regardless of who’s truly in the running, it’s a big decision Monken will have to make in his first ever season as a head coach. For an organization still searching for that franchise quarterback, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them take another shot at one in the draft in a loaded 2027 class. It’s by far one of the lower-tier QB rooms in the league entering 2026.

The Post Garrett Era

Garrett first requested a trade back in February 2025, following the Browns’ 3-14 finish. It all looked like a negotiating ploy as just month later, he signed a 4yr/$160 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback at the time. Garrett would turn around and break the single-season sack record, just months removed from his payday. Then out of nowhere, Garrett was sent to the Rams on June 1st, in exchange for Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick, and a 2029 third-round pick.

In a matter of months, the Browns have lost both their highly respected defensive coordinator and their future Hall of Fame pass rusher. If Cleveland has succeeded at anything over these last few years, it’s been their ability to shut down opposing offenses. With Schwartz and Garrett now gone, it’s a new era for the Browns defense that has been feared in recent seasons.

The Browns have two young and talented pieces to build around, and now adding Verse to the mix gives them renewed hope on the defensive side of the ball. Cleveland invested their first two picks in the 2025 draft on defense, selecting defensive tackle Mason Graham (5th overall) and linebacker Carson Schwesinger (33rd overall). Schwesinger finished the year as the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, recording 156 total tackles, 67 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions. The front office added talented safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the second round as well. Devin Bush and Garrett are the two biggest defensive losses this offseason, but the pieces to stay successful are still there.

On offense, they added both wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston in April’s draft, supplying weapons to an offense that lacked game-changing pass-catchers outside of 2025 rookie tight end Harold Fannin. There’s plenty of high-ceiling talent on both sides of the ball for the Browns and first-time head coach Todd Monken, but the defense, without a doubt, will need some resemblance to their production from the past two seasons to keep the team relevant this year.

Record Prediction: 5-12; Last in AFC North

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/06/25/out-to-lunch/otl-afc-north-preview-cleveland-browns/