CLEVELAND BROWNS

OFF SEASON CHANGES

Big changes all over the place for the Browns after firing Kevin Stefanski and replacing him with Todd Monken as head coach. The bombshell trade of the off-season was sending Myles Garrett to the Rams for Jared Verse and a load of draft capital. He’s a massive loss for this defense, as well as defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz who resigned after missing out on the head coaching job. Deshaun Watson should be healthy and he’ll be in a three-way quarterback competition with Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. The Browns invested heavily in their offense through the draft, taking two receivers in the first two rounds and OT Spencer Fano with pick 9.

QUATERBACKS

The Browns had the second-fewest passing yards per game last season and the big question here is who will start Week 1. Head coach Todd Monken hasn’t given much away so far but it’s likely to be either Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders to take the reins. Watson has recovered from his achilles tear that wiped out his whole 2025 season and it’s his last chance to prove himself in the last year of his contract. He restructured his deal which freed up $36 million in cap space for the Browns. Shedeur Sanders is a fan favorite and led the Browns to a few wins last year, but his 7-10 TD to interception ratio wasn’t overly convincing. Dillon Gabriel started six games in his rookie season but it seems he’s third in the pecking order going into 2026.

RUNNING BACKS

The Browns’ rushing attack was sixth-worst in the NFL last season, but Quinshon Judkins emerged as a solid prospect throughout the season. He suffered a pretty horrific fractured leg and dislocated ankle in December but is reportedly healthy and ready to go for this season. Prior to his injury he had 827 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns which had him in contention for OROTY. The worrying thing was that he averaged just 3.6 yards per carry, but a lot of that came down to the Browns’ weak offensive line and poor passing game. Dylan Sampson will remain RB2, he had some serviceable games last year but actually had more receiving yards (271) than rushing yards (175).

RECEIVERS

The Browns had just two players with more than 600 receiving yards in 2025 – rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr (731 yards) and WR Jerry Jeudy (602). They’ve gone heavy in the draft to improve their receiver room, taking WR KC Concepcion with pick 24 and WR Denzel Boston with pick 39. They’re both exciting prospects with Concepcion averaging 15.1 yards per catch and 9 touchdowns at Texas A&M last season. Boston had 881 yards and 11 touchdowns for Washington in his final college year too. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr looks like a foundational piece and he’ll be thrown into an even bigger role now that David Njoku is gone. The talent is there now for the Browns, but the bigger issue here is who throws them the ball. I’d avoid betting on their props until we get a better idea of who is starting QB and how they gel in pre-season.

DEFENCE

Defense wasn’t the issue for the Browns last year, with one of the highest rated units in the league. Unfortunately they lost both their best player Myles Garrett and their defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. The bombshell trade with Garrett did bring Jared Verse to Cleveland and he’s an exciting prospect, recording 7.5 sacks for the Rams last season. He’s just 25 years old and is a nice replacement at defensive end. The Browns are still stacked with talent, with the likes of Denzel Ward, Tyson Campbell, Carson Schwesinger and Mason Graham. This should still be a top-15 defense but it’s going to be a big task replacing a coordinator and reining DPOTY in the same off-season.