The pieces are in place. The roster has been rebuilt. Now, Mary Kay Cabot is putting a number on what it all means when the games actually count.
The Cleveland.com insider made a bold win prediction for the 2026 Cleveland Browns.
“If the Browns can field a quarterback who’s in the middle of the pack this season in the NFL, they should be able to get to eight or nine victories. They won five games last year despite two rookie quarterbacks who were ranked at or near the bottom of the NFL,” Cabot wrote.
The Browns won five games last season with two rookie quarterbacks who were ranked at or near the very bottom of the NFL at the position.
Now think about what has changed between then and now. Spencer Fano has been added to anchor the left tackle spot after an offensive line that was a disaster from the opening week of the 2025 season. KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston give the Browns QB two first-round caliber receivers who were not on this roster last year. Joe Royer adds another dimension at tight end alongside Harold Fannin Jr. The entire offensive infrastructure has been rebuilt from the ground up over one offseason.
In the AFC, eight or nine wins puts you firmly in the wild card conversation. A defense led by Myles Garrett, Mason Graham, and Carson Schwesinger combined with a vastly improved offense and competent quarterback play is a formula that can beat a lot of teams on any given Sunday.
The talent is there. All the Browns need now is someone under center who can stay out of their own way and let the players around him do their jobs.
If that happens, eight or nine wins is not optimistic. It might actually be conservative.
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