The New York Jets are at home in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday for the 5th game of their 2026 campaign. They will be facing the Cleveland Browns. The Browns have won three straight games coming into this game and are 3-1 on the year. They are coming off a tight dominant 27-24 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.
Previewing this matchup, Chris Pokorny, Site Manager at Dawgs By Nature, was kind enough to answer a few questions regarding the 2026 Cleveland Browns.
1. What are the Browns’
biggest advantages over the Jets in this game? Where might the Browns be at a disadvantage?
For the Browns’ biggest advantage, I think we have to look at the player who is doing his job at an elite level right now in CB Denzel Ward. I’ve never seen him start a season this good, and that’s for a guy who has always been solid. He is completely shutting down opposing receivers. I’m not particularly high on the Jets’ group of receivers to begin with, so I like Cleveland’s ability to stop the Jets’ passing game pretty well. The part I’m concerned about is the Browns’ run blocking, and it’s not because of the Jets’ rushing attack. It has to do with the fact that defensive tackles Mason Graham and Mike Hall Jr are both out with injuries. Veteran Maliek Collins plays well, but he’s not going to be an everydown player. After that, the team has Adin Huntington and will try to throw together some other rotation to help out. Cleveland hasn’t allowed a rushing touchdown this year, but if the Jets get down in the red zone, they might be able to attack the middle.
2. The Browns, like the Jets, have struggled to find a long term answer at quarterback. They currently have four quarterbacks: Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, Taylen Green and Dillon Gabriel. Can any of these guys be a long term answer for the Browns at quarterback? Will the Browns be shopping for a quarterback in the first round of the 2027 NFL draft?
I’ll start with the most obvious one: I’d say No for Dillon Gabriel. I just don’t think he has the ability to get the ball downfield at an NFL level to be a long term starter. A backup, sure, but not someone you bank your future on. Taylen Green is an unknown, but our perception of him is that he’s probably a guy who can be a backup for his threat to run, but again, not someone expected to throw the ball at a high level long term. I think Shedeur Sanders has displayed a lot of intriguing elements, to where I see the potential for him to be a long-term answer. However, with the stockpile of draft picks the Browns have in 2027, I don’t think Sanders is viewed highly enough to pass on a quarterback in the first round of the draft.
Deshaun Watson is a bit of a wildcard right now. Prior to this season, everyone would have said 0% chance. But, he’s legitimately looked the best he has in a Browns uniform. It’s still not fantastic per se, but if he keeps building off of this and leads the Browns to the playoffs, then I think all of a sudden we could be having a discussion we never expected to have regarding his future with the team.
3. Can you give us a synopsis of what the 2026 Browns draft class has looked like so far, and what you expect from them as the year goes on?
It has been great. There are everyday contributions from five players. Last year on offense, the entire offensive line was in shambles, and the wide receiver group was among the worst in football. The Browns took left tackle Spencer Fano in the first round, and he’s played every snap at the position and done a fair job there. They also drafted Austin Barber in the third round — he was projected to be a backup offensive tackle, but due to injuries in camp, they gave him a shot at right guard. He won the job, has played every snap there, and has actually performed like the team’s best offensive linemen. Then, at receiver, I’m sure you guys have heard about KC Concepcion in the first round and Denzel Boston early in the second round. Concepcion does a nice job in space and providing that bit of electricity, while Boston is a big target who Deshaun Watson trusts on catches where you need a guy who can go get the ball with his hands, as well as intermediate and downfield throws. Lastly, second-round safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has been getting more reps as he plays the center field role beautifully, being given the freedom to use his instincts to jump passes. These past two years of draft classes have been absolute home runs for the Browns, and it’s the reason they are 3-1 and turning heads right now.
4. Every team has a player or two who may be somewhat unfamiliar to other teams’ fans but is known to be an unsung hero by fans of his own team. Who are the Browns’ unsung heroes? If possible give us one guy on each side of the ball.
On offense, I talked about several offensive players in the previous question, so I’ll go with tight end Harold Fannin. He was one of the team’s key draft picks last year, but he leads the team in touchdowns and always has a knack for gaining several extra yards after contact, even when it doesn’t look like he will. On defense, I again spoiled this a bit with my talk of Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the previous question, so just know that the answer would have been him. To throw a little twist to this answer, I’ll pick a guy who Jets fans know very well: linebacker Quincy Williams. My first exposure to him was in Week 1, and I wasn’t too happy. But someone lit a fire under him since then, to where he seems like a tackling machine who plays with a great intensity in finishing plays. I’ve been impressed, and his PFF scores have reflected it as well.
5. If you were an opposing head coach, how would you attack this Browns team on offense and on defense?
As I mentioned earlier, solely because of the Browns’ defensive tackle issue, I’d try to attack the middle with the Jets’ run game. Cleveland’s defensive coordinator has done a nice job coming up with a different game plan each week based on his opponent, so it makes it a little more unpredictable for opposing offenses to know what to expect heading into the game. For the Browns’ offense, I’d utilize as many zone coverage drops as I can against Deshaun Watson — ones that start near the middle of the field and leak out toward the seams and sidelines. Watson couldn’t recognize that all of training camp, and was victimized by the same type of interception in Week 1. Although it hasn’t been an issue the past three games, part of that has been smarter play by Watson of taking the smart open plays short, while maintaining those occasional downfield throws. But, I imagine there is still an opportunity to bait him.
