The Cleveland Browns enter the 2026 offseason with a roster that’s both intriguing and unstable—young talent flashed, but the supporting structure (especially the offensive line) looks like it’s about to fall apart. With premium draft capital and major contract questions, Cleveland’s next moves will shape everything from the quarterback plan to how fantasy managers should view this offense.
This Browns-only breakdown highlights the biggest roster holes, key 2026/2027 free agents, and what Cleveland must prioritize in free agency and the NFL Draft to stabilize the roster.
Pick 6: Cleveland Browns
Team Needs: OT, WR, DT, QB, S
2026 Free Agent Key Losses:
G Wyatt Teller, G Joel Bitonio, OT Jack Conklin, TE David Njoku, C Ethan Pocic, DL Shelby Harris
2026 Free Agents Losses
- RB: Jerome Ford, Trayveon Williams
- WR: DeAndre Carter, Jamari Thrash (ERFA), Malachi Corley (ERFA)
- TE: Blake Whiteheart (RFA), Brenden Bates (ERFA)
- OL: LT Cam Robinson, LT Cornelius Lucas
- EDGE: Cam Thomas
- DL: Sam Kamara (RFA)
- LB: Devin Bush, Jerome Baker, Winston Reid (ERFA), Mohamoud Diabate (RFA)
- CB: Martin Emerson, Sam Webb (RFA), Anthony Kendall (ERFA)
- S: Rayshawn Jenkins
- ST: Rex Sunahara (ERFA), Andre Szmyt (ERFA)
2027 Free Agents:
- QB: Deshaun Watson
- RB: Ahmani Marshall (ERFA)
- WR: Malachi Corley, Gage Larvadain (ERFA), Isaiah Wooden (ERFA), Luke Floriea (ERFA)
- TE: Jack Stoll, Sal Cannella (ERFA), Caden Prieskorn (ERFA)
- OL: G Teven Jenkins, OT Tyre Phillips, LT Dawand Jones, C Luke Wypler, G Kendrick Green, OT Jeremiah Byers (ERFA), C Kingsley Eguakun (ERFA), G Jack Conley (ERFA)
- EDGE: Isaiah McGuire
- DL: Maliek Collins
- LB: Edefuan Ulofoshio (ERFA), Nathaniel Watson (RFA)
- S: Ronnie Hickman, Grant Delpit, Chris Edmonds (ERFA), D’Angelo Ross, Tre Avery
- ST: Nik Constantinou (ERFA), Corey Bojorquez
The Browns were in pretty rough shape entering the 2026 offseason. Specifically, the offensive line has four of its five starters from 2025 hitting free agency.
Jack Conklin is the lone returner at tackle, but he only played 8 games last season. He was subsequently released. Joel Bitonio is contemplating retirement.
It’s a major problem as the OL was bad last year with these guys.
Poor blocking upfront makes it really tough to evaluate the influx of young talent across the Cleveland roster.
A week before free agency started, the Browns made a move to trade for Texans RT Tytus Howard. Also signed him to a 3-year extension. Definitely helps bolster one of the tackle spots for the Browns and helps them evaluate their current offensive skill positions. Left tackle is still ambiguous, given that Dawand Jones is rehabilitating from a 2025 season-ending knee and hamstring injury.
But they didn’t stop there. OG/C Elgton Jenkins, OG Teven Jenkins and OG Zion Johnson were also brought on board.
Three starting OL pieces have been filled. However, context is needed. Jenkins was cut from the Packers after failing his physical. Johnson was not retained by the Chargers, who had one of the worst offensive lines last season.
So they have new bodies… but the offensive line is still far from a finished top-10 unit. However, the draft should help fill out the rest of the offensive line.
Because there is young talent on this offense that could thrive if the offensive line can be average.
The 2025 Browns are the only team since the 1970 merger to have a rookie lead them in pass yards (Shedeur Sanders), rush yards (Quinshon Judkins), receiving yards (Harold Fannin Jr.) – also the fantasy TE6 overall…and tackles (reigning DROY LB Carson Schwesinger) in a season.
Tight end David Njoku is already preparing for life post-Cleveland. Looks like Fannin TE1 szn is full go in 2026.
Judkins is more TBD. He is coming off a pretty serious injury (ankle dislocation, fractured fibula) and benefited from a lot of volume – albeit very inefficient- in 2025. It could be more of the same in 2026 behind a potential patchwork offensive line.
Still, the expectation is that he won’t be limited during the offseason periods.
WR is a big area of need for the skill positions that you’d anticipate them using with one of their two first-round picks (6th and 24th).
There’s no additional need for those positions, although the Browns never seem settled at QB.
New HC Todd Monken did not declare Sanders as the team’s QB1 heading into the offseason. Deshaun Watson is still on the team for at least one more season based on his contract structure. No point in cutting bait now. So, it could be Sanders as the Browns’ QB1… or Watson (recovering from two Achilles injuries). And Dillon Gabriel is also on the roster.
Needless to say, the Browns probably won’t add much of anything at QB until they can finally move on from Watson in 2027. It’s possible that Monken could see something in rookie QB Carson Beck. Coached him at Georgia for three seasons (although Beck was not the starter). The team is also doing its due diligence on Alabama QB Ty Simpson, who projects as a late first/early second-round pick.
Monken has also coached 2026 draft-eligible rookies, including TE Oscar Delp and WR Dillon Bell (potential late-round targets).
The Browns’ major offensive needs are simple. OL and WR. And I’d imagine Monken will have a lot of input, given that part of the appeal of the Browns’ job was building the offensive roster from the ground up.
I’d also add that Jerry Jeudy has an out in his contract in 2027. Jeudy was heavily praised by the former HC, Kevin Stefanski (now in Atlanta). However, GM Andrew Berry has also recently expressed confidence in Jeudy, betting on him to bounce back in 2026.
Jeudy’s former WR coach with the Browns is in Kansas City (Chad O’Shea). The Giants are another interesting spot for Jeudy, given the need for WR (also reunites Jeudy with Jameis Winston).
The Titans could also look at Jeudy, given his Alabama connections to Daboll.
Another coaching nugget for you…Spencer Fano is one of the top tackle prospects in this class (Utah) inside an elite tier with Miami’s Francis Mauigoa (according to NFL Draft Insider, Tony Pauline).
Who coached him in 2024 at Utah? New Browns QB coach, Mike Bajakian. This is the stuff I live for.
Bajakian also coached the other highly-touted Utah tackle…Caleb Lomu. Very well possible to see the Browns wait to draft the Utes’ left tackle rather than spend their highest capital on RT Fano, given some concerns about his arm length (although his versatility is collectively praised). Berry is very analytical-driven, so I could see that as an issue with Fano.
Monroe Freeling is the LT from Georgia, and might represent the most upside among this year’s tackle group. Freeling is tied with Francis Mauigoa to be the first OL drafted according to the betting odds.
As a final note on the offensive line, the Browns also hired George Warhop as the new offensive line coach. He is one of the most well-respected OL coaches in the NFL (although last year’s offensive line in Baltimore was hardly his greatest output).
The Brownies’ defense was great last year, but how they will manage without DC Jim Schwartz will be worth monitoring (resigned after not being named HC).
Interior defensive line needs more depth, given that DT Shelby Harris is still an unsigned FA. The Browns’ run defense disintegrated after losing DT Maliek Collins in the second half of last season (also a 2027 free agent).
Could the Browns entertain safety Caleb Downs at 6? Well, Monken has seen firsthand what a dynamic safety can present for opposing offenses, given his time spent with Baltimore.
New Browns DC, Mike Rutenberg, also has an extensive track record with safeties stemming from the Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich coaching trees. Before the Jets defense fell apart at the end of his tenure…it was a locked-and-loaded unit.
Ulbrich on Rutenberg, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic.
“He’s one of the best teachers in this league. He understands the back end at a PhD-plus level. He’s a huge part of our success back there. Whether he gets a coordinator job this season or next, it’s inevitable. He’s too good a coach.”
Rookie safety Xavier Watts was terrific last year playing under Rutenberg in Atlanta. The Browns also have two starting safeties hitting free agency next season.
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