Sunday, September 13th, the 2026 Cleveland Browns will be back on every television screen in Northeast Ohio. The team is entering Year 2 of their rebuild as they will look different on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Head coach Todd Monken is replacing Kevin Stefanski, while the defense will look to find a new alpha after trading away star defensive end Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, as well as having a new defensive coordinator.
A new season brings expectations, but it’s
fair to keep those expectations as realistic as possible
Offensive Expectations
On paper, this unit should be improved from last season. The offensive line was overhauled completely with emphasis on versatility based on the players that the team acquired this offseason. Rookie Spencer Fano, should be the team’s long-awaited answer at left tackle and rookies Parker Brailsford and Austin Barber could contribute earlier than expected. The veteran additions should help right away.
The wide receiver room was retooled as rookies KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston add to a room that lacked quality and upside. Scheme-wise, Monken will offer a form of diversity that the team didn’t have last season under Stefanski.
Despite all of the improvements, the team still lacks a clear answer at quarterback.
The team deciding to start quarterback Deshaun Watson might have been an unpopular decision, considering that Watson hasn’t been available, and when he has, the play hasn’t been close to his days when he was playing for the Houston Texans. Shedeur Sanders might have upside, but it’s fair to question if he has a future with the team. Dillon Gabriel is closer to a backup than a long-term starter. Taylen Green has the athletic traits but is raw as a passer.
The quarterback running game will be more of an emphasis due to the uncertainty in the passing game.
Make no mistake, the offensive unit has blue chip talent. However, the uncertainty at the quarterback position hampers any realistic expectations for this group. The lack of an adequate passing game will allow teams to load the box while the Browns feel forced to run the ball more until teams respect the passing game.
This unit won’t be the best in the league, but they won’t be the worst due to the upside of talent.
Defensive Expectations
Let’s start with the obvious. Losing a player like Myles Garrett will affect any defense. One of the many reasons why the Browns defense was so dominant was because of Garrett and the gravity he carried. Contrary to some fan belief, Garrett made the players around him better (mainly on the defensive line).
On paper, this defense still has the potential to be a top 10 unit. It’s fair to say that the unit won’t be as dominant as last year but still good enough to keep the team in games. Defensive end Jared Verse, who the team acquired in the Garrett trade will not replicate what Garrett did but Verse is a top 15 edge rusher in this league. Defensive tackle Mason Graham showed a ton of promise in the 2nd half of last season and linebacker Carson Schwesinger is primed to build off last season.
The secondary has cornerpieces in Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit, while rookie Emmanuel McNeil Warren will add versatility to the room.
Losing defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and replacing him with Mike Rutenberg will be an upgrade in terms of the scheme and versatility, but will come with more uncertainty. Schwartz was good during his time in Cleveland but his scheme lacked creativity and it often times showed whenever he went up against a great offensive mastermind.
Overall, the defensive unit will have a drop off of some sort but it won’t be the dropoff that many fans believe will happen. This group has talent with a different scheme in place. The defense won’t be as elite as last year but good enough to be respectable.
Overall Expectations
Is it wrong to have lower expectations for the 2026 Cleveland Browns than last year? In this case, yes.
The roster is better, but because of the uncertainty at the quarterback position and the team rebuilding the expectations are low. It might seem unfair but it’s the reality of the situation. Some fans already have an apathetic view towards the team, but when you are constantly losing, it’s hard to blame them. It’s unfortunate because the team has talent. Starting Watson was an unpopular decision with the fanbase, but it was the right decision to make at the time. The team has something to build on despite outside opinion.
At best, this team could win six to eight games. Five is a fair enough projection, but overall this is a team that is likely to be picking in the top five in next year’s NFL Draft and will likely come away with their franchise quarterback.
What are your expectations for the offense and defense this year?
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