The Cleveland Browns have built up a good deal of optimism over the course of their preseason minicamps and OTAs. Head coach Todd Monken has been encouraged by the performance of his team, which has already dealt with some major upheaval with the trade of Myles Garrett.
Of course, even if Monken was discouraged, he wouldn’t say so publicly. He is trying to create a winning culture based on accountability, and the results have been promising so far.
However, the Browns have yet to take the field against an opponent that is trying to defeat them. That is when Monken and the fans will truly find out what kind of team the Browns have and are building.
With that in mind, analyst Quincy Carrier revealed his realistic expectations for this young Browns roster, saying they will experience some noticeable growing pains before hopefully hitting their stride later in the season.
“We’re going to see some pretty, pretty crazy mistakes by some of these players. We should have a built-in understanding that they’re putting this together as it goes along. This is why I’ve been very adamant that we should have lower expectations for the beginning of the season than we have at the end. We should grade this season on the curve. Would it be nice if they won? Awesome. We’re ahead of schedule. More than likely, we’re going to look at it through the way that they are gradually improving throughout the year and how we can protect that for next year’s success. They’re gonna make mistakes. They’re gonna have big blowups in protection because they don’t know each other or played with each other. I think the most important thing for this football team is that they play meaningful football in December,” Carrier said.
The revamped offense is sure to be a work in progress as it could have as many as nine new starters following a quarterback competition, the rebuilding of the offensive line, and the drafting of two rookie wide receivers. Combine that lack of familiarity with each other with a brand new coaching staff and offensive system, and it’s going to be difficult for the unit to operate at peak efficiency for a while.
The defense is also bound to be different with the departure of Garrett, a pass-rushing force who set the NFL record for sacks in a season just last year. Jared Verse is a worthwhile replacement, based on his pass-rush metrics in two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, but the Browns and their fans have relied on Garrett’s excellence over the past nine years.
The early schedule doesn’t do Cleveland any favors, either, as it will play six of its first nine games on the road. However, a rare four-game homestand could allow them to gain some momentum toward hopefully meaningful games down the stretch.
It will be a very different kind of season for the Browns in 2026, which makes the anticipation all the more exciting.
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