The Cleveland Browns were destroyed by the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. It was so bad that the Jags pulled most of their starters early in the second half of the game. RB Dylan Sampson left the game and didn’t return, while OL Zion Johnson was hurt but returned quickly.
The rest of the takeaways from the game are all negative toward the Cleveland side of things in a game where it seemed far worse than the 34-10 final score.
Big offseason moves = Tanking?
All offseason, the Browns seemed to make moves that
indicated that they didn’t want to fully tank. Even the trade of Myles Garrett only happened because they got Jared Verse back in the deal. GM Andrew Berry extended the contracts of Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit instead of trading away talented players, and hired a veteran coach (even if it is his first NFL head coaching job) instead of a youngster.
However, the biggest moves may have actually indicated some level of tanking plans in Cleveland. First, hiring an unproven head coach, Todd Monken, after no other team had given him that shot despite a few decades of quality offensive coordinator jobs. Second, not only keeping Deshaun Watson but allowing him to compete for the starting quarterback job. Cutting Watson was unreasonable, but they could have just said he’d be the veteran backup in his final year with the Browns. Third, not bringing in an actual veteran quarterback with recent success in the NFL. Finally, not keeping Jim Schwartz as the defensive coordinator and/or giving him the top job.
Those four big moves look
Mike Rutenberg’s defense lacking… identity
Couldn’t stop the run, couldn’t defend the pass, couldn’t get pressure. Add to that a couple of blown assignments and wide-open receivers all day long, and people are going to have questions about the new Cleveland defensive coordinator. Trevor Lawrence had a 150.6 QB rating against Rutenberg’s defense, with DT Mason Graham getting the only sack of the day.
Jaguars bringing blitzes or extra men in the box versus Deshaun Watson
One of the things about not having quality QB play is that defenses can just load up the box and bring run blitzes on the way to the quarterback. Trailing early didn’t help, but the poor quarterback play didn’t help RB Quinshon Judkins either. With 12 carries for 33 yards, Judkins’ return from injury was far from positive.
System or talent?
A question that we won’t have an answer for, unless you believe it is already “both,” for a few weeks is whether this poor performance is because of Monken and the coaching staff or because of the talent Berry did or didn’t bring in. Instead, right now it was all bad.
Mason Graham doubles his rookie sack total
After a half sack last year, Graham was one of the few decent spots on the defense and his one sack now doubles last year’s total.
3 straight penalties late in 1st half – Wow
This will go into the next takeaway, but the late first half, when the drive got going and they were close to field goal position, was impressively frustrating. Then they added another hold shortly thereafter. From field goal position to throwing a Hail Mary that didn’t have much of a shot, a very bad series of events.
The Todd Monken hire is gonna be under the microscope
When the Browns decided to hire Monken, many fans were excited that the team went from a young, analytics guy to a gruff, no-BS old-school coach who wouldn’t let the team fail on the details. In Game 1, the team failed in pretty much every way that they could.
On top of that, whether it was the halftime question or after the game, Monken’s responses were basically the same as what Cleveland fans have heard from their former head coach, Kevin Stefanski. ‘We’ve got to call it better. We’ve got to play better.‘ Monken also defended Watson’s play in a way that didn’t seem to fit what the fans and media saw on the field.
Operations were crap – double-digit penalties
The one thing that Monken focused on all offseason was the “operations.” Whether it was the 11 penalties for 75 yards or the need to use timeouts because plays weren’t getting going quick enough, the “operations” were far from good enough. “Got to coach better. Got to scheme better. Got to play better.” That has been the focus all offseason, and the Browns were still terrible at it.
One big play to Denzel Boston probably keeps Deshaun Watson as the starter – No sarcasm
While many were calling for Shedeur Sanders to replace Watson throughout Week 1, this play is likely to keep Watson as the starter:
That felt true when the play happened; then, listening to Monken after the game, where he wouldn’t say anything that would indicate he was blaming Watson for the performance versus the Jaguars, I’d assume Watson is the starter until he is physically unable to play or his teammates turn on him. This play is one that Monken will likely use as a reason for that decision.
So tough for fans (I know, I am one)
We have the greatest fan base in the world, but the Browns have tried to kill it. While the score wasn’t as bad as it could have been, Week 1 felt like one of the worst performances from a Cleveland team. Not once against Jacksonville did the team look like they had a shot at making their opponent concerned at all about the outcome of the game. Feels like one of the quickest “This season is going to be terrible” experiences in Browns history.
I hate it for you; I hate it for me.
What are your takeaways from Week 1 for the Browns?
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