It’s easy to look at Cleveland’s 4-2 start and see a team that has finally found some traction. The Browns have already beaten Pittsburgh and Baltimore, two divisional wins that matter in any season, and they’ve done it while sitting in a spot few people would have predicted for this franchise.
But even with the record in their favor, the picture isn’t clean. There’s plenty to like, plenty to question, and a few issues that could still pull this thing off course.
Start with the defense, because that side of the ball has been the engine behind this run. Cleveland got shredded by Jacksonville on Opening Weekend, and since then the unit has turned into one of the NFL’s best.
The Browns are second in sacks in their first season without Myles Garrett and zero sacks by his nominal successor Jared Verse, while also ranking fourth in total quarterback pressures. They’ve given up only one rushing touchdown all year.
There are still cracks, especially in the secondary, but the overall shape of the group is strong. Denzel Ward is having one of the best seasons of his career.
Carson Schwesinger looks like the real thing in his second year. Quincy Williams, the free agent pickup, has been playing at a very high level as well.
Up front, though, is where Cleveland has really separated itself. Isaiah McGuire and Maliek Collins have been terrific, Mason Graham has justified the hype when healthy, Sam Williams has shown burst on the edge, and Verse is affecting quarterbacks even if the sacks haven’t shown up yet.
The problem is that the Browns are still asking too much of Deshaun Watson, and the numbers don’t offer much comfort. His 4.0 percent touchdown percentage is his second worst as a pro, and a handful of other measures - QBR, success rate, yards per attempt, and sack percentage - line up with what he’s done in Cleveland before, not the version he showed in Houston. His 70.3 on target rate is his personal worst, too.
So no, Watson has not suddenly taken a leap under head coach Todd Monken. By the numbers in the source, he’s not playing better than he did under Kevin Stefanski. The difference is that he’s being carried by a much stronger defense, along with quality run-game help and a dependable kicker in Andre Szmyt.
That’s why Cleveland can’t be in a hurry to make a quarterback change. The Browns are winning despite Watson, not because of him, and that can hold for only so long before things get messy.
There’s more optimism with the rookie offensive linemen. Austin Barber, working on the left side, has been as good as - and maybe better than - Spencer Fano.
Both of them have outplayed their veteran counterparts, with Zion Johnson at left guard and especially Tytus Howard at right tackle. The group still has a lot to clean up, and protection has been far from ideal for a quarterback who has taken too many sacks, but both rookies look like they can be long-term pieces in Cleveland.
The run game, though, has been a slog. Quinshon Judkins’ early-season numbers are not pretty, but they also fit the larger picture of his rookie year.
He’s at 3.0 yards per carry this season, worse than his 3.5-yard average a year ago. He hasn’t topped 4.0 yards per carry since Week 13 last season, one of only four games in that rookie campaign when he reached that mark.
And even with a bigger workload this year - 60 percent of the offensive snaps, up from 50 percent last year - he’s found the end zone only once.
Run blocking has been an issue, particularly at the point of first contact, but Judkins’ results have still slid backward from last year’s underwhelming production, which was easier to overlook because of his seven rushing touchdowns.
The rookie receivers have been a different story. KC Concepcion, back from a concussion in time to suit up this past Sunday, leads the team with 22 catches for 186 yards. Denzel Boston has been even more explosive, with 17 receptions for 345 yards, a league-best 20.3 yards per catch, and three touchdowns.
The quarterbacks haven’t given those young pass-catchers much to work with, but Boston’s production is loud enough that he belongs in the conversation for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
There’s also a clear tactical problem in Cleveland’s passing game. The Browns are using play-action on just 18.5 percent of their dropbacks, which ranks 29th in the league and is down from 21.9 percent last season. Their EPA per pass attempt sits at -0.04, so the play-action game isn’t just rare - it hasn’t been effective when they do use it.
That ties back to the bigger issue. The protection has been shaky, Watson hasn’t been sharp, and the Browns would almost certainly benefit from a stronger ground attack.
If the run game ever starts to threaten defenses, it should open up more respect for play-action. And with Cleveland already leading the league in sacks allowed, anything that helps slow pressure would be a welcome change.
In Other News...
Browns Suddenly Have A Defensive Concern Before Titans Week 7 Test
A midweek injury report can tell you a lot about where a team stands heading into Sunday, and the Browns had a few names missing when they opened practice Wednesday for their Week 7 meeting with the Titans. Grant Delpit was among the absences after sustaining a concussion in the previous game, while Kalia Davis, Mike Hall Jr., Elgton Jenkins, Teven Jenkins and Carson Schwesinger also were sidelined as Cleveland started to sort through its health issues on defense and along the front.
There was at least some good news mixed in, with Mason Graham and Quinshon Judkins back on the field and potentially available this week. Still, Delpits situation is the one to monitor most closely for Cleveland, since his availability could shape how the Browns handle a defense that has already been forced to navigate injuries, and several of the other sidelined players have shown they can push through pain and suit up if needed. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Enter A Stretch That Could Define Their Playoff Push
The Browns are heading into a tricky part of the schedule with Sundays trip to face the Titans kicking off three straight road games. Cleveland has not been nearly as steady away from home as it has been in other settings, and with a 1-2 road record so far, this stretch is going to tell a lot about how real the teams playoff push is. For a roster trying to stay in the mix, these are the kinds of weeks that can quietly shape an entire season.
There is also a longer-term layer to this run, because the Browns are getting closer to the point where they have to sort through their quarterback plans for 2026. Those decisions are not the immediate headline, but they hover over everything as Cleveland tries to balance the present with what comes next. A difficult road swing can sharpen those conversations quickly, especially if the team needs to prove it can travel well enough to keep its postseason hopes alive. [Read more 🡒]
Quincy Williams Is Becoming Impossible For Browns Fans To Ignore
The Browns have built an encouraging early edge in the division, including a win over Baltimore, and the defense has been a major reason why. Under defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg, who was hired by head coach Todd Monken, the unit has kept its identity intact after Jim Schwartzs departure, and one of the biggest reasons it has held up so well is Quincy Williams.
Williams, a free agent signing who already knew Rutenberg, has wasted little time making himself a central part of the defense. He has piled up 40 tackles in six games and leads the league in forced fumbles, production that has made him hard for Browns fans to overlook as the season settles into its grind. [Read more 🡒]