Updated: September 5th 2026. The season recap covers 2025; personnel sections look ahead to 2026. Includes Predictions, Projectios and 2026 Complete Standings.
Leadership and Coordinators
- Owner: Dee and Jimmy Haslam Managing and Principal Partners The Haslams remain closely involved after consecutive losing seasons. Their 2026 reset retained Andrew Berry but changed the coaching staff and accelerated a roster transition.
- Decision Maker: Andrew Berry. Executive Vice President, Football Operations & General Manager Berry controls personnel, contracts and the draft. He is balancing a younger roster with the need to resolve quarterback uncertainty and justify continued ownership confidence.
- Head Coach: Todd Monken Monken returned to Cleveland as head coach after coordinating Baltimore’s offense. His mandate is to develop the quarterback room, restore explosive passing concepts and make a rebuilt line functional quickly.
- Offensive Coordinator: Travis Switzer Switzer coordinates an offense expected to use motion, play action and vertical stress. Monken’s involvement will remain substantial.
- Defensive Coordinator: Mike Rutenberg Rutenberg inherits a defense transitioning away from Myles Garrett. His challenge is to create pressure collectively while keeping young foundational pieces on an upward curve.
- Special Teams Coordinator: Byron Storer Storer leads a unit that must provide field position and stability while the offense develops. Coverage consistency and return-game value are central priorities.
2025 Season Recap
Cleveland’s 5–12 season ended with a second straight losing record, another missed postseason and the departure of Kevin Stefanski. The Browns scored only 279 points, by far the fewest in the AFC North, while allowing 379. The record reflected an offense that rarely created easy points and a defense asked to keep games manageable without adequate complementary football.
Quarterback instability again controlled the season’s narrative. Cleveland cycled through solutions rather than establishing a durable offensive identity. Rookie Shedeur Sanders provided intriguing moments and competitive toughness, but the passing game remained inconsistent and vulnerable to pressure. The offensive line absorbed injuries and decline, limiting both the dropback menu and the run game. Rookie Quinshon Judkins supplied physical, productive rushing before a late-season fractured fibula and ankle dislocation ended his year, removing one of the offense’s few dependable engines.
Jerry Jeudy remained the most accomplished receiving option, but the Browns lacked enough consistent separation and explosive creation around him. Drives too often required long strings of clean execution, an unrealistic burden for an unsettled quarterback and line combination. Cleveland’s low scoring output was therefore not one isolated weakness; it was the combined result of protection problems, incomplete quarterback development, injuries and too few game-changing plays.
Defensively, Myles Garrett remained the opponent’s first concern and continued to create pressure despite constant attention. Denzel Ward anchored the secondary, Grant Delpit supplied physical range, and young tackle Mason Graham gave the interior a building block. Yet the defense could not overcome the offense’s persistent field-position and possession disadvantages. Injuries to Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and other contributors further reduced flexibility. Cleveland went 2–4 in the division and finished fourth, although a late win over Pittsburgh showed the defense could still disrupt the race.
The closing stretch clarified both Cleveland’s toughness and its limitations. The Browns could muddy games with front-line defensive talent, but playing from behind narrowed the call sheet and exposed a young offense to obvious passing situations. Judkins’ late injury removed the most credible way to stay balanced, while additional offensive-line injuries made the final weeks as much about survival as evaluation. The minus-100 point differential captured how rarely they controlled games from start to finish.
The organization responded with both continuity and upheaval. Berry stayed, but Monken replaced Stefanski and built a new staff. The roster reset became unmistakable when Cleveland traded Garrett to the Rams and added younger edge defender Jared Verse. Berry also rebuilt the offensive line with Tytus Howard, Elgton Jenkins and Zion Johnson, then used the draft to add Spencer Fano, Austin Barber and Parker Brailsford.
The 2026 outlook is developmental but not passive. Cleveland has invested enough in protection and receiver talent to demand visible progress from its quarterbacks. The defense must prove it can remain competitive without Garrett’s singular gravity. If Monken creates a coherent offense and Verse becomes a foundational pass rusher, the Browns can emerge from 2025 with a credible plan. If not, the continued uncertainty at the sport’s most important position will dominate another season.
2025 Division Standing
- 1. Pittsburgh Steelers — 10–7 (5–1 division) — Lost WC PF: 397 · PA: 387
- 2. Baltimore Ravens — 8–9 (3–3 division) — Missed Playoffs PF: 424 · PA: 398
- 3. Cincinnati Bengals — 6–11 (3–3 division) — Missed Playoffs PF: 414 · PA: 492
- 4. Cleveland Browns — 5–12 (2–4 division) — Missed Playoffs PF: 279 · PA: 379
Cleveland finished fourth in the NFC Norht. Its 2–4 division record included enough resistance to affect the title race, but the offense never produced the consistency required for a playoff push.
Notable 2026 Player Additions
- EDGE Jared Verse (trade, Los Angeles Rams) Verse’s power and relentless rush style make him the new front-line cornerstone after Garrett’s departure.
- OT Tytus Howard (trade, Houston Texans) Howard’s starting experience and guard-tackle flexibility help stabilize a line undergoing major turnover.
- C/G Elgton Jenkins (free agency, Green Bay Packers) Jenkins brings proven multi-position ability and leadership. His presence gives Monken options as young linemen settle into roles.
- G Zion Johnson (free agency, Los Angeles Chargers) Johnson adds athleticism and former first-round pedigree to the interior. Cleveland needs a more consistent version of his game than Los Angeles received.
- LB Quincy Williams (free agency, New York Jets) Williams supplies range and violent closing speed to a linebacker group managing Owusu-Koramoah’s health uncertainty.
- DT Kalia Davis (free agency, San Francisco 49ers) Davis started all 17 games in 2025 and adds needed interior experience beside Graham.
Notable 2026 Player Losses
- EDGE Myles Garrett (traded to Los Angeles Rams) Cleveland loses its defining defender and the player who shaped every protection plan. Verse now inherits the responsibility of leading the pass rush.
- C Ethan Pocic (Baltimore Ravens) Pocic’s departure removes a veteran center from an already changing line. Jenkins and rookie Parker Brailsford provide replacement options.
- G Wyatt Teller (Houston Texans) Teller’s physical run blocking helped define Cleveland’s best offensive stretches. The rebuilt interior must recreate that displacement without his continuity.
- OT Jack Conklin (unrestricted free agent) Conklin’s exit removes another veteran starter and makes Howard and Fano central to the offense’s success.
2026 Draft Class
- Round 1, Pick 9 — OT Spencer Fano, Utah The Outland Trophy winner is a polished, powerful right-tackle prospect. He should contend to start immediately and become a long-term protection anchor.
- Round 1, Pick 24 — WR KC Concepcion, Texas A&M Concepcion is a versatile receiver and returner who can manufacture explosives from multiple alignments. His movement skills give Monken a movable offensive piece.
- Round 2, Pick 39 — WR Denzel Boston, Washington Boston’s 6-foot-3 frame and touchdown production add a boundary complement to Concepcion and Jeudy. He must translate his contested-catch strengths against NFL corners.
- Round 2, Pick 58 — S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo A physical, productive safety with forced-fumble ability, McNeil-Warren can contribute in sub-packages and on special teams while developing coverage range.
- Round 3, Pick 86 — OT Austin Barber, Florida Barber started at left tackle in the SEC and offers valuable swing-tackle potential. Injury history and technical consistency shape his early outlook.
- Round 5, Pick 146 — C Parker Brailsford, Alabama Brailsford is undersized but experienced, athletic and intelligent. His movement ability fits a varied run game, though NFL power will test his anchor.
- Round 5, Pick 149 — LB Justin Jefferson, Alabama Jefferson brings tackling production and an explicit enthusiasm for special teams. That versatility gives him a realistic game-day path.
- Round 5, Pick 170 — TE Joe Royer, Cincinnati Royer is a productive receiving tight end with local ties and useful size. He can compete for complementary pass-game work while his blocking develops.
- Round 6, Pick 182 — QB Taylen Green, Arkansas Green’s 6-foot-5 frame and rushing ability create developmental upside. His accuracy and decision-making must become more consistent before he can threaten for meaningful starts.
- Round 7, Pick 248 — TE Carsen Ryan, BYU Ryan arrives after a 620-yard senior season and offers receiving competence with special-teams potential. He faces a crowded competition for a reserve role.
2026 Spotlight Watch
- Hot Seat — Andrew Berry Berry received authority to choose another coach and execute the Garrett trade. The roster now must show a coherent quarterback and offensive-line plan.
- Breakout Watch — Mason Graham Graham’s rookie foundation and interior quickness position him to become the defense’s next centerpiece. More disruption on passing downs would mark the leap.
- Bust Watch — Deshaun Watson Watson won the starting job, but his recent seasons have been defined by injuries, limited availability and uneven quarterback play. Cleveland needs efficient, decisive football from him; another disrupted or ineffective season would stall Monken’s offensive reset.
- Team Superstar — Denzel Ward With Garrett gone, Ward is the defense’s established elite talent. His man-coverage ability makes him both the performance standard and organizational anchor.
Prediction
The Cleveland Browns are tied with the Miami Dolphins for the 2nd worst record in the NFL and last place in the AFC North at 1-16. A tiebreaker will decide who picks 2nd and 3rd between the Dolphins and the Browns.
Below is the complete 2026 regular season projections.
