This story is part of a series previewing the Ravens’ AFC North opponents for the 2026 season.
The Cleveland Browns enter the 2026 season in rebuild mode. While that sentence seems like it could apply to most of the Browns’ seasons in the last 25 years, this year it is especially true.
Franchise cornerstone Myles Garrett broke the NFL’s single-season sack record and earned Pro Bowl, All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year honors and was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Rams for several premium draft picks and defensive end Jared Verse.
While the trade was motivated in part by Garrett’s desire to leave and play for a Super Bowl contender, the Browns’ willingness to part with perhaps the best pound-for-pound player in the NFL for draft capital shows where the team thinks they are in terms of a timeline to competitiveness.
Offensive outlook
First-year head coach and former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken will have his hands full getting production out of a unit that last year was ranked 31st in the league in points per game and 30th in yards.
The Browns did invest heavily in the draft to improve that side of the ball, taking top tackle prospect Spencer Fano with the ninth overall pick and wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston with picks No. 24 and No. 39, respectively. They also spent nearly $120 million in total contracts to solidify the offensive line with three new starters via trade and free agency.
The issue, as it has been for decades for this franchise, is the quarterback position. Last year, the Browns cycled through Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, but none played at even an average level. This year, Deshaun Watson is expected to return as starting quarterback after missing most of the last two years with Achilles tears, but Monken has said that for now it’s an open competition between Watson and Sanders.
Watson is entering the final season of the now-infamous five-year, $230 million guaranteed contract the Browns gave him in 2022. Through four years, Watson has played in only 19 out of a possible 68 regular-season games, with 19 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and 11 fumbles.
Defensive outlook
Defensively, the Browns do have some strong pieces. Verse is no Garrett, but he’s been a Pro Bowler in each of his first two seasons and won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024. Second-year pro Carson Schwesinger won Defensive Rookie of the Year for the Browns last year and is already considered one of the best off-ball linebackers in the league. Cornerback Denzel Ward just earned his fifth Pro Bowl nod last year, and defensive tackle Mason Graham, a top-five pick in the 2025 draft, showed promise as a rookie.
Even while the offense struggled to generate points or gain field position consistently in 2025, the defense still ranked fourth in yards allowed and 14th in points allowed. If Verse is able to meet half of Garrett’s production in 2026, the defense should still be a strong unit.
Matching up with the Ravens
The Rams were the happiest team when the news broke about the Garrett trade. The next happiest may have been the Ravens. With him out of the picture, anything less than sweeping the Browns would be a massive disappointment for Baltimore in 2026.
The Ravens have struggled in Cleveland the last few years, losing that matchup three of the last five times, but Garrett’s disruptive play was pivotal in those games. In fact, the last time Garrett played the Ravens, he had four sacks. Lamar Jackson in particular should be able to raise his play without having to spend the games constantly looking over his shoulder.
Season prediction: 4-13, fourth in AFC North
The Browns have a handful of above-average or rising players, but a lot of the same questions remain for a team that struggles to find consistency year over year. Who will start at quarterback and how effective can they be? Will a new head coach gel with the players or have a combative relationship? Will their young draft picks develop?
Watson has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league by QBR when he’s been on the field for the Browns. Sanders’ QBR last year would have been worst in the league if he had played enough to qualify. It would be a stretch to expect either to improve drastically enough for the offense to be in the top half of the league. At this point, the Browns would be thrilled by average quarterback play.
There is also the inevitable drop-off in how the defense plays without Garrett. His dominance forced opposing offenses to game-plan around him, including with double and triple teams and plays designed to flow away from him. This allowed the rest of the defense to play within a favorable framework. Even with that, he totaled 23 sacks and 33 tackles for loss last year. Without Garrett, it will be significantly harder for the Browns to generate advantageous matchups consistently.
This decline paired with the quarterback situation bodes poorly for Cleveland’s chances to compete in the AFC North. It’s more likely the team has an average defense and poor offense, three different quarterbacks start games because of injury or poor play and Monken has player relationship issues by November. Their fan base will once again have to slog through a season with few bright moments, hoping the quarterback of the future can come through the following draft.
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