The Cleveland Browns have been mostly a disappointment for the better part of the past 25 years.
The franchise has made the playoffs just three times and won just one postseason game since returning to the NFL in 1999. The Browns have had 19 seasons with double-digit losses, posted just the second 0-16 season in league history, and had so many starting quarterbacks and head coaches that it can be hard to remember them at times.
This season may be another rough one with a young team led by a first-time
head coach and still searching for a quarterback. If the oddsmakers are correct, and they generally are, the 2026 season could bring the number of double-digit losses to an even 20.
But there will be plenty of time in the fall to talk about frustrating losses, bad quarterback play, and puzzling coaching decisions. The summer is a time for optimism as training camp brings exciting new players and a renewed hope that this year it may be different.
In that spirit, here are five positives from the offseason that should fill the hearts of even the grinchiest Browns fan with a little bit of happiness.
The approach to the 2026 NFL Draft
The Browns needed to do something about an underperforming wide receiver room, and general manager Andrew Berry wasted no time in selecting KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston. The situation was the same for an aging and injured offensive line, so welcome to Cleveland, Spencer Fano, Austin Barber, and Parker Brailsford.
Will all the moves pan out? The history of the NFL says probably not. But Berry recognized the need and used the draft to tackle the problem, so, for now, that is good enough to make the list.
The Young Core
The new draft class joins running back Quinshon Judkins, defensive tackle Mason Graham, linebacker Carson Schwesinger, and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. from the productive 2025 class to give the Browns a promising foundation of young players to build on. If Concepcion, Boston and Fano are anywhere as good as those second-year players, the Browns should be set up nicely once they finally fix the quarterback situation. (Hopefully, as soon as 2027, because it won’t be this year.)
Insisting on Jared Verse
The decision to trade defensive end Myles Garrett was understandable, even if it was still disappointing. But insisting that the Los Angeles Rams include Verse in the trade takes some of the sting out, as the Browns will see an immediate return this fall. Verse may not be a force multiplier like Garrett – no one in the NFL is – but adding the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and a player with 99 quarterback pressures in two seasons is something that several teams would have liked to do in the offseason.
Hiring Mike Rutenberg as DC
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz packed up his playbook and went home after the Browns made the correct choice to bypass him for the head coaching role. In his place steps Rutenberg, who will use more zone blitzes to pressure the quarterback, and with the addition of Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, more three-safety looks to keep opposing offenses guessing.
Not making the QB situation worse
There is no debating that the Browns have the worst quarterback room in the NFL. But as bad as it will be, it could have been worse if Berry had made the mistake of bringing in an aging veteran like Kirk Cousins or Geno Smith, a reclamation project like Justin Fields or Anthony Richardson, or signing a free agent like Malik Willis.
None of those players, or any of the other quarterbacks who were available for very obvious reasons, were going to help or be the long-term answer the team needs. It is going to be ugly at times; what else is new, but the Browns need to take their lumps for one more season and then approach the quarterback position in the 2027 NFL Draft.
What do you say, Browns fans? Are these true positives or fool’s gold? Have your say in the comments!
