The Browns are staring at a few real roster calls before Week 1, and Todd Monken has to sort through them with Jacksonville coming up fast. Some of the decisions are about depth. Others are about whether Cleveland is willing to lean into youth right away.
Austin Barber is the easiest place to start. The rookie tackle out of Florida has been one of the camp and preseason standouts, and after moving to guard he posted the highest PFF grades among Browns players in the games where he played the position.
The buzz around him wasn’t built on empty hype, either. He handled himself well in pass protection and showed he could hold up in the run game, giving Cleveland something worth putting on the field.
That’s why Barber deserves playing time, even if the Browns don’t want to rush him. He’s young, but this season should be about development as much as anything else. Barber has already shown enough upside to justify a real role.
KC Concepcion is in a different spot, but the logic is similar. He didn’t get a ton of preseason run, yet he still made a strong impression and has already carved out a starter’s spot on the roster.
His most obvious value showed up on punt returns. In the preseason opener against Chicago, his first chance went for 31 yards, a quick reminder of the burst and confidence he brings to the job.
That makes the return role pretty straightforward against Jacksonville. Concepcion should be the Browns’ primary punt returner, especially with the goal he’s already put out there for himself: three or more punt-return touchdowns.
The quarterback situation is where things get a little trickier. Monken said during his Labor Day pre-practice press conference that Taylen Green could have a package of plays and that “There could be a package where we have him...it's possible that we could use him.” That opens the door for Green to be the active backup instead of Shedeur Sanders, which would push Sanders into the emergency third-quarterback role.
That would be the wrong move.
Deshaun Watson’s injury history is too much of a concern to take lightly, and Green is not ready to handle extended NFL snaps. The idea of a package for him is one thing; putting the Browns in a spot where they’d be vulnerable if Watson had to leave the game is another.
The Browns aren’t walking into 2026 with lofty expectations. But there is a clear benefit to letting the younger players grow on the job. Barber, Concepcion and the quarterback decision all point in that direction, and those are the kinds of calls that can still make this season matter.
In Other News...
Browns Open With A Jaguars Twist Fans Will Be Watching Closely
The Browns will open the 2026 season against a Jaguars team that already has Cleveland's attention for reasons well beyond Week 1. Cleveland holds Jacksonville's first-round pick from the Travis Hunter trade, so every move the Jaguars make this summer carries a little extra weight for Browns fans, from the roster additions to the departures and the shape of a draft class that is expected to produce at least one immediate starter. It is the kind of early-season matchup that ties together two teams' futures in a way most openers do not.
Todd Monken's hiring as Browns head coach also adds another layer to the start of the season, especially after Cleveland interviewed Grant Udinski before making its choice. Jacksonville, meanwhile, has brought in names such as defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro and quarterback Quinn Ewers as it reshapes the roster for 2026. For Browns fans, the Week 1 trip is about more than just the scoreboard, because the Jaguars' progress will be part of the long conversation Cleveland is going to be having all season. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Fans Already Sound Fed Up With Deshaun Watson
Todd Monkens first season has already put him in the middle of one of the Browns most delicate storylines, with Deshaun Watson taking the Week 1 starting job over Shedeur Sanders. The choice was always going to draw scrutiny, but it has felt especially loud in Cleveland after Watson was booed during a preseason appearance, a clear sign that plenty of fans are still unconvinced by the direction of the offense.
Monken addressed the subject in a radio interview, calling Watsons remarks about the fan reaction a minor issue and saying the two had already talked it through. For a coach trying to settle a quarterback situation and establish credibility in his first year on the job, even small flare-ups like this can matter, especially when the crowd has already made its feelings known. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Settle Key Week 1 Battles But One Decision Stands Out
The Browns first unofficial depth chart for Week 1 of the 2026 season cleared up a few of the biggest camp questions, and it did so in fairly straightforward fashion. Deshaun Watson is listed as the starting quarterback, with Shedeur Sanders slotted in as the primary backup and rookie Taylen Green third on the chart. Up front, Cleveland kept the offensive line where it had been projected, with Teven Jenkins at right guard and Austin Barber backing up the right tackle spot.
One of the more notable details came on special teams, where second-year receiver Isaiah Bond is the lone punt returner. First-round rookie KC Concepcion, meanwhile, does not appear on the special teams depth chart, a small but meaningful clue about how the Browns are dividing early-season responsibilities as the roster takes shape. [Read more 🡒]