Browns Are Getting A Major Advantage This Season

Ever since the NFL went to its current scheduling format in 2002, most of the games for any upcoming season are known well in advance. Every team plays every other team in the league at least once over an eight-year span, based on what division they are in.

The remaining games, including the 17th regular-season game that was added in 2021, are assigned based on the place the teams finished the previous season. So, though there may be some carryover from season to season, the strength of schedule can vary greatly year over year.

The Cleveland Browns are about to play another last-place schedule this season, like they did last season. But thanks to the other divisions they will face outside of their six AFC North games, their schedule strength is one of the easiest in the NFL.

According to analyst Warren Sharp, the Browns are ranked among the most-favorable schedules in 2026, coming in fourth behind the Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals.

“NEW: NFL strength of schedule for 2026! 5 easiest schedules: 4. Browns,” Sharp posted.

NEW: NFL strength of schedule for 2026!

5 easiest schedules:

1️⃣ Lions
2️⃣ Saints
3️⃣ Bengals
4️⃣ Browns
5️⃣ Jets

5 hardest schedules:

2️⃣8️⃣ Rams
2️⃣9️⃣ Cowboys
3️⃣0️⃣ Panthers
3️⃣1️⃣ Dolphins
3️⃣2️⃣ Cardinals

1-32 with insight & analysis:https://t.co/iS1PFqfcxx

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 4, 2026

Sharp takes a different approach in coming up with his rankings. Instead of using the teams’ winning percentages from last season, he takes the new betting odds for over-under wins to determine which teams have the most difficult or easiest schedules.

In 2026, the Browns will play all of the teams from the AFC South and NFC South. They also face the last-place teams from the AFC East, NFC East and AFC West.

According to Sharp’s formula, none of those non-division opponents is projected to win more than 10 games this season. In fact, the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers have some of the worst odds in the NFL, each with a win total of fewer than seven. The New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers are all projected to finish around .500.

As usual, the Browns’ toughest competition will come from within their division, as the Baltimore Ravens (11.5) and Bengals (9.5) have the highest win totals of any team on Cleveland’s schedule.