The Cleveland Browns have several major questions to answer ahead of the 2026 season. They are, of course, still in the process of finding a new head coach, which is priority one.
Shortly after that is figuring out who their quarterback is going to be, a familiar situation for this franchise. They already have three quarterbacks on the roster, but the jury is still out on which one, if any, will be their Week 1 starter.
Some fans and analysts want the Browns to go after someone who isn’t currently on the team, hoping to, at the very least, shake things up and provide competition. Malik Willis’ name has been brought up recently, as he has performed well in relief of Jordan Love for the Green Bay Packers. He might be a good option for some teams, but as reporter Mary Kay Cabot noted in a recent video shared via Cleveland.com, he will likely be too expensive.
“The sample size is small, and the salary is probably going to be very large, so that is the gamble that you’re going to take,” Cabot said, adding, “Someone will probably overpay for him, and the Browns really aren’t in a position in 2026 to overpay for a quarterback.”
The Browns are already in a difficult position when it comes to the salary cap, and a lot of that is due to Watson’s massive contract. They’ve gotten hardly any value in return for his record-breaking deal at the time it was signed, as Watson has been sidelined due to off-field issues and injuries.
As much as they might like to add an option like Willis into the mix, it doesn’t make much sense for them from a salary perspective. If the Browns are going to add a new quarterback, it’ll likely have to be from the 2026 NFL Draft, as rookies are far less expensive than veterans.
It will be interesting to watch the Browns’ approach over the next few months and see if their new head coach will have much input about this decision. Quarterback continues to be a point of contention, and if the Browns make the wrong choice in 2026, they could find themselves in a similar situation at this time next year.
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