When Myles Garrett was traded from the Cleveland Browns, some fans felt that the team’s record would suffer because of it in 2026. How could the Browns possibly improve their win total if they no longer had the defensive superstar that Garrett is?
And while losing Garrett will impact the team, his absence doesn’t mean that they will lose many more games in the new season.
While speaking to 92.3 The Fan, Mary Cay Cabot said that Garrett isn’t the deciding factor for the Browns. What matters more is who is playing quarterback and how well they do.
Without a strong quarterback running the show, the defense ultimately doesn’t matter.
“The win total is going to come down to the quarterback play. They won eight games the last two years with Myles having some of the best seasons of his entire career, and it didn’t really matter all that much in terms of the win total. You’re not going to be a successful football team unless you get really good quarterback play. As long as you have the quarterback to knit it all together, then I think they can flirt with potentially eight wins. If you get really good quarterback play, maybe you could even flirt with a Wild Card berth into December,” Cabot said.
"The win total is going to come down to the QB play. They won 8 games the last 2 years with Myles having some of the best seasons of his career… As long as you have the QB to knit it all together, I think they can flirt with potentially 8 wins."
📞@MaryKayCabot on her Browns… pic.twitter.com/RZJj9l3zyN
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) June 4, 2026
This point by Cabot underscores the idea that many Browns fans hold: the team isn’t going to progress unless they address and solve their quarterback situation.
According to most reports, the battle for starting quarterback is now a two-man race between Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson. In the end, one of those two will probably come out on top for 2026, and the fate of the team may rest on their shoulders.
The defense will definitely be undergoing major changes now that Garrett is gone. They will have to find a new identity, and responsibilities will be moved around to fill the void that he has left.
So while the loss of Garrett may bring some pain and a lot of adjustments, it may not alter the team that much.
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