The 2026 NFL Schedule release will happen on Thursday, as all 32 teams will have their 2026 schedules unveiled. Social media teams for all 32 teams will find creative ways to unveil their schedules, and the Cleveland Browns will be no exception. The Browns are projected to have one of the easier strength of schedules after having one of the toughest strength of schedules last season.
Cleveland will face 4 playoff teams (Pittsburgh, Houston, Carolina and Jacksonville) and outside of division play,
they will play a mixture of teams that were below average to average last season.
Here are the 2 predictions for the Browns schedule release:
More late afternoon games that aren’t the main double headers
The Browns have mostly played at 1:00 PM every Sunday for as long as anyone can remember. Last season, the team had two games that started in the late window (4 PM), home vs the Ravens and away against the Raiders. This season, the team could possibly have more games in those late windows. The Browns have opponents that could make sense in terms of playing in that late window, including New Orleans and Tennessee, the two teams they play outside the Eastern time zone.
As far as the networks that will broadcast, it’s likely CBS will carry those games.
Browns will have at least 1 or 2 primetime games
Last season, the Browns were one of the 3 teams that didn’t have a single primetime game. This season, expect the Browns to have at least a couple primetime games. Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime seems likely but it’s possible the networks (ESPN or NBC) could look to put the Browns on Monday Night or Sunday Night football due to the potential storylines each matchup could entail.
- Thursday Night Possibilities: Home vs the Steelers (AFC North Rivalry), Home vs the Raiders (Fernando Mendoza debut on national television), home vs the Falcons (The Return of former head coach Kevin Stefanski), away vs the Texans (showcasing the top tier defenses in the league), away vs the Titans (Shedeur Sanders vs Cam Ward)
- Sunday Night Possibilities (Rare): Away vs the Buccaneers (Baker Mayfield vs Shedeur Sanders), home vs the Ravens
What are your predictions for tonight’s schedule release?
