Cleveland Browns fans are desperate to cheer for a winning team after going 8-26 over the past two years, which was enough to get Kevin Stefanski fired and encourage the front office to usher in a full regime change. It’s not typical to expect the team to be an immediate Super Bowl contender after hiring a new coach, but turnarounds often happen quicker than expected in the NFL.
As unexceptional as last year was, it was still a notable step up from the previous season. The 2025 draft class looks like it could be special, and one analyst believes the growth could continue with a strong 2026 campaign.
Garrett Bush of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports show recently spoke about Cleveland’s exciting young core and the fact that new head coach Todd Monken brings a new energy to the organization. He rejects the notion that the team is only focused on competing in 2027 due to the fact that there are players on the roster ready to roll right now.
“You’ve got an exciting young core, a new first-time head coach with new energy. To me, I don’t see where people are sitting around talking about this is a four-win team and why the quarterback is in ’27 and the trajectory is in ’27 when you’ve got players right now that are ready to compete,” said Bush.
It’s difficult to have faith in the Browns making a quick turnaround when the quarterback position is so uncertain. Recent rumors and reports suggest that Deshaun Watson has the inside track to get his starting gig back, but even if he does, he looked like a shell of himself during his first few years in Cleveland, and that was before turning 30 and tearing his Achilles twice.
It’s important for the Browns to keep their core together and continue building on the positive momentum they generated last season. The best way to do that is by following up an outstanding 2025 draft class with another great ’26 class, but unless QB gets figured out, this team is still playing for 2027, whether the fans want to hear that or not.
Playing in a brutal AFC North doesn’t help, but all three of Cleveland’s divisional foes showed real vulnerability in 2025. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that the Browns could be at least a playoff contender in 2026 if Watson can turn back the clock.
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