The Cleveland Browns have a lot of reasons for excitement heading into a pivotal 2026 season. In Todd Monken’s first year as head coach, he will have an exciting group of young talent to work with and a good group of veterans to support them despite recently trading the best player in football in Myles Garrett.
Many analysts and media members see the Browns making big improvements and winning seven, eight, and as many as ten games in 2026. If the Browns can figure out the quarterback position and get at least average production out of Shedeur Sanders and/or Deshaun Watson, there is no reason why that can’t be a reality, especially if some X-factors emerge as well.
During a recent episode of Sports4CLE, Lance Reisland discussed who his three most important X-factors are. He highlighted KC Concepcion, Dylan Sampson, and Isaiah Bond as three guys who can transform this offense if they exceed expectations.
“I think really early on, I think KC Concepcion, I think Dylan Sampson, and I think Isaiah Bond are really important. Those are the easy yards guys. I don’t think of those guys as receivers or running backs. I think of those guys as touch guys. Guys you need to get the ball in space to. I think those three guys are crucial for the growth of the quarterback and the overall improvement of this offense,” said Reisland.
He sees those three as guys who can create yards on their own and discussed how the three of them can play off of Denzel Boston, who should be able to command a lot of attention right away as a threat down the field for jump balls, as well as in the red zone. He and Jerry Jeudy both should be able to open up the middle of the field, and that’s exactly where these three X-factors can thrive, as can second-year tight end Harold Fannin Jr.
The passing game didn’t have nearly this amount of talent or versatility last year. While so much attention is focused on the quarterback battle, the hope is that it doesn’t matter that much who winds up starting because the infrastructure around them will be so much better.
All of last year’s quarterbacks stepped into an untenable situation. That’s no longer the case, and these three potential breakout players are big reasons for that.
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