When the Cleveland Browns’ 2026 schedule was released this week, fans likely looked it over to find out when they would get to meet some familiar faces. With so much turnover in the league year over year, those games are often plentiful, but the Browns, in particular, have several notable matchups in that regard.
The first one comes early, in Week 2 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when the Browns will face former quarterback Baker Mayfield for just the second time since he was traded away in 2022. New Cleveland head coach Todd Monken was also a Buccaneers assistant from 2016 to 2018.
Monken will also get to face his most recent former team for the first time when the Baltimore Ravens visit Cleveland in Week 8. The AFC North rivals play again in Week 17 at Baltimore.
However, there is one other Browns game that is already being labeled as a “revenge game” by CBS Sports, and that is when former head coach Kevin Stefanski visits Cleveland with the Atlanta Falcons in Week 14.
“Kevin Stefanski coached the Browns from 2020 through 2025. During that time, he amazingly led the Browns to the playoffs twice — and he even won a game there in 2020. But the Browns went just 8-26 in 2024 and 2025, and they fired Stefanski at the end of the 2025 season. It didn’t take long for him to find another job, as he was hired by Atlanta just 12 days after being fired. Late in the season, he gets to make his return to Cleveland,” Jared Dubin wrote.
Stefanski was one of the most well-regarded head coaches during this offseason cycle, and Atlanta hired him after it fired Raheem Morris after just two seasons, a move that was met with some skepticism. Adding to the intrigue, Stefanski brought former Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees with him to fill that role with the Falcons, and former Cleveland quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt and highly regarded offensive line coach Bill Callahan are also on his new staff.
New Browns defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg was the Falcons’ defensive passing game coordinator last season. So, the matchups on the opposing sides of the ball should be very interesting to watch in this game.
There also may be a lot at stake for both teams on that Dec. 13 date. Both could reasonably still be in playoff contention in their respective conferences and may need a victory to remain real threats in those races.
The 1 p.m. start at Huntington Bank Stadium should be one of the most anticipated matchups of that weekend, regardless of where the teams stand.
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