Somehow, the Cleveland Browns did kinda lose in their bye week. With the Jacksonville Jaguars winning in overtime and a few other results, the Browns 2026 NFL draft order saw both of their first-round
picks drop while the team sat idle. The team also sat mostly idle at the NFL trade deadline, with a change of offensive play caller and Paul DePodesta’s departure much more impactful and interesting than trading away a backup defender.
Even Week 10’s Thursday Night Football results moved Cleveland’s pick down a spot, for the moment, as the Las Vegas Raiders lost again.
With all the focus on quarterbacks, what the New York Jets are rumored to have planned after their big moves at the deadline, and the rest of the bad teams seemingly staying bad, the Browns might have a lot of competition for even a Top 5 pick in next year’s draft. Taking stock of the teams with three wins or fewer so far this season shows just how bad the bottom of the barrel is.
2026 NFL draft order based on current standings
- New Orleans Saints – With one win, the Saints have moved on to rookie QB Tyler Shough to see what they have before next year’s draft. A bad roster also traded away one of its best receivers. With a couple of other bad teams on their schedule, there could be a few tank-off games for New Orleans.
- Tennessee Titans – Rookie Cam Ward really hasn’t had a chance to prove himself, overall, and now will have a new coach next year and a bad roster around him. Titans vs Browns and a game with the Saints could decide where Tennessee is picking next year.
- New York Jets – Clearly, they’ve hit the tank button for this year, but Aaron Glenn is also trying to install a culture, so it will be interesting what the play on the field looks like as the Jets have matchups with a lot of the teams on this list.
- Miami Dolphins – The first team on the list with two wins, they’ve already fired their GM, but Mike McDaniel is safe for this season. A weird vote of confidence could either galvanize the team or lead to complacency. Head-to-head matchups are not the primary tiebreaker for draft position, but the Dolphins have lost to the Browns and have games against the Saints, Jets, and Bengals coming up. Tank-a-thon indeed.
- New York Giants – Losing RB Cam Skatteboo is a problem, with WR Malik Nabers already out for the season. Brian Daboll can’t afford to tank, so you can expect the Giants to do everything in their power to win on the field. The problem for New York (and other teams that want high picks) is that they only have one other bad team (Raiders) on their schedule the rest of the way.
- Las Vegas Raiders – Having already lost an ugly game on TNF, the Raiders could be looking at a switch from Geno Smith (whose contract they extended this offseason) to Kenny Pickett. The Browns, Texans and Giants sit ahead on the schedule.
- Cleveland Browns – DBN fans know the deal with the Browns. Similar to Daboll, but not a hot of seat, for Kevin Stefanski and a team that wants to build something around their young players and veteran core. Cleveland has four out of the next five games against teams with losing records.
- Washington Commanders – The first three-win team on this list, the Commanders got good news that Jayden Daniels’ elbow does not have significant issues and he will not be going on IR right away. The team is still not good with a lot of tough games, besides the Dolphins and Giants, the rest of the way.
- Cincinnati Bengals – The worst defense in the NFL has shown that it really doesn’t matter how well Joe Flacco or Joe Burrow play with the great weapons they have. The Bengals could win some games by sheer force of offense, but overall, are a very flawed team.
- Baltimore Ravens – The first team on the list that still has high expectations. The Ravens are the betting favorites to win the AFC North despite having only three wins and being two games behind the Steelers. Lamar Jackson’s return has everyone’s hopes up for Baltimore, a team we can ignore for tanking purposes at this point.
- Atlanta Falcons – Another team that is disappointing based on expectations (a few of those on this list), the Falcons have no reason to tank since their pick goes to the Los Angeles Rams, but they haven’t been good this season. Having the Saints (twice) and Jets on the upcoming schedule could also help push them out of competing for a Top 5 pick (for the Rams).
- Arizona Cardinals – A team that hoped to build off of an eight-win season, the Cardinals have essentially benched Kyler Murray to turn to Jacoby Brissett in hopes of turning their season around. Jonathan Gannon’s seat might not be hot, but it is for sure warming up a bit in the desert. Their schedule includes facing the Texans, Falcons and Bengals in three straight games near the end of the season.
- Houston Texans – CJ Stroud is out this week and things have just been bad with the Texans all year long. A bad plan on the offensive line is among the reasons things haven’t gone well in Houston, but games against the Titans, Cardinals and Raiders could help them right the ship a bit the rest of the way.
- Dallas Cowboys – At 3-5-1, the Cowboys are the last team on the list and just made a big move for DT Quinnen Williams at the deadline. Dallas is not tanking and is on their bye before games against the Raiders (coming up next week), then finishing the year with the Commanders and Giants.
Currently, the Browns are within one game of 14 teams in the NFL. A few of those teams have no reason to tank but have been losing games anyway, while another group of bad teams are likely looking for the chance to lose as much as possible. Cleveland’s path to a Top 5 pick could slip away with a victory against New York this week, but its chance of making the playoffs is also very slim at this point as well.
The Browns might seem like a team that should tank, but Cleveland fans shouldn’t put their hopes on a top pick to solve their quarterback problem, given how the rest of the bottom of the NFL looks at this point.
