Hard to believe it’s finally Browns game week. The journey from the former head coach being fired to right now seems like a dream, or maybe a nightmare. The roster has been greatly improved at the positions it needed to be after last year. Wide receiver and offensive line were defiantly areas of weakness in 2025. Three promising high draft picks, (Spencer Fano, KC Conception and Denzel Boston) will hopefully spark an offense that was very offensive to watch in 2025. Along with Fano, there will be four other new starters on the offensive line. This is an unprecedented move for any NFL team. But if it works, the run game should be better which will improve the passing game. The only major hole on the offense is the passing game. I for one, never wanted to see QB Deshaun Watson take another snap for the Cleveland Browns. But I understand the reasoning with two road games to start the season. If head coach Todd Monken can get Watson to play like an average quarterback not the hot mess, we all saw in 2024, then he should be in the running for coach of the year.
On defense, the Browns roster in my opinion is more talented than last year. I’m well aware they traded the best defensive player in the league, but overall, the roster is better. My only concern is who’s going to step up and replace DE Alex Wright, hopefully Isaiah McGuire can return to the form he had the last time he replaced Wright, after game two in 2024. As for the rest of the defense, the linebackers are better with the addition of Quincy Williams next to Carsen Schwesinger. The cornerbacks are better with a full year of Tyson Campbell and the addition of Mekhi Blackman. The safeties are better with the addition of Emmanuel McNneil-Warren and a bigger role for Ronnie Hickman and Donovan McMillon.
On special teams, the coverage is very much improved if the pre-season games are any indication. In 2025, the coverage teams and special teams as a whole gave away too many games. I still shake my head at allowing a kickoff return for a TD then a punt return for a TD in the span of 38 seconds. I want the special teams to be boring. If they’re not talked about, then they’re doing good.
This writing may sound very optimistic, but let’s face facts, the 2026 Browns comes down to one thing, the quarterback room. As it stands now, this room is bottom five in the league. In the NFL winning teams are either cared by a great franchise quarterback or the team as a whole carries an average or good quarterback. I can say with great conviction the Browns aren’t the first one, but they could possibly be the second one. They just need average to good quarterback play, a solid offensive line and a top ten defense. We’ll have to wait and see, but six wins looks about right. Stay safe and Go Browns.