The Browns have spent the offseason building up hope, but not every name on the roster is a safe bet to deliver. With the Todd Monken era about to begin in earnest on Sept. 13 against Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland looks deeper and more talented than it did a year ago. KC Concepcion, Spencer Fano, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, and Denzel Boston all bring the kind of upside that gets fans dreaming.
Still, improvement across the board doesn’t erase the pressure on a few key players. Some of the most important projected starters are also the ones with the biggest bust risk, and the Browns could find that out the hard way in 2026.
Zion Johnson is one of the clearest examples. Cleveland handed him a three-year, $49.5 million deal in free agency, a move that drew mixed reaction because the athletic traits are obvious, but so is the uneven tape.
He’s locked in as the starting left guard and expected to replace the retired Joel Bitonio, which is no small assignment. Johnson has too often struggled badly, and because he’s now one of the team’s highest-paid players, a benching feels unlikely even if the performance doesn’t match the paycheck.
There’s also some roster flexibility in play: with concerns at right guard, the Browns could eventually shift Johnson there and use Elgton Jenkins at left guard if rookie Parker Brailsford makes up for the training camp time he missed.
Isaiah McGuire is another player who could be asked to do more than he’s ready for. He’s in a contract year and suddenly has a prime chance to earn a bigger payday, especially with Alex Wright out for the season.
McGuire is set to start at defensive end opposite Jared Verse, moving from a rotational role into the spotlight. He’s been underrated in that edge-rusher rotation, but being “the guy” is a different job entirely.
He could wind up playing the most snaps of his young career, even with Derek Barnett in the picture, and that heavier workload may expose some limitations. McGuire isn’t the fastest or most explosive rusher, and he can have trouble when he’s forced into open space or coverage responsibilities.
More snaps won’t automatically mean better results.
Then there’s Jerry Jeudy, who enters 2026 with a lot of expectations attached despite a rough year behind him. The Browns have reasons to think the offense can be better now, with improved play-calling, a stronger offensive line, and more weapons around him.
But the quarterback situation is still shaky, and Jeudy’s problems in 2025 were not all about the circumstances. Drops were a real issue, and he reportedly dealt with them again this summer during training camp.
That’s why Cleveland may soon have to face an uncomfortable truth: Jeudy shouldn’t be the primary pass catcher anymore. He may be listed as the WR1 right now, but that status may not last long, and a trade could even become part of the conversation.
In Other News...
Browns Linked To Unexpected QB Move That Would Shake Up Depth Chart
The Browns quarterback picture has already been murky with Deshaun Watson entrenched as the starter and Dillon Gabriel currently on injured reserve, but a new speculative idea from Bleacher Report would make it even more interesting. In the mock deal, Cleveland would go after Tua Tagovailoa in a trade with the Falcons, sending Gabriel and a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick the other way, a proposal that immediately stands out because it would alter the depth chart in a hurry.
It is the kind of thought experiment that gets attention precisely because it is not rooted in anything confirmed, but it does force a look at how Cleveland wants to handle the position going forward. Trading for Tagovailoa would signal a major shift in how the Browns are thinking about their quarterback room, and even as a hypothetical, it underscores how unsettled the situation still feels behind Watson. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Just Added Backfield Depth That Could Matter Faster Than Expected
Clevelands practice squad took on a little more relevance with the addition of running back Jaleel McLaughlin, a familiar NFL name who was recently released by the Broncos. For a Browns team still shaping its backfield hierarchy, the move gives the club another experienced option in a room that already includes Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson and Raheim Sanders, while also rounding out the kind of depth every offense needs once the season starts grinding forward.
McLaughlin lands in a spot where opportunities can open quickly if the Browns need a call-up or a different look behind the top backs. Practice squad additions are often filed away as housekeeping, but this one carries a little more intrigue because of where Cleveland is at in building out its running game and how fast a backup can become part of the conversation when injuries or game-day needs change. [Read more 🡒]
Browns QB Chaos Just Fueled A Veteran Trade Debate
With Deshaun Watson still listed as the starter and Dillon Gabriel already on injured reserve, the Browns quarterback room has become the kind of unsettled situation that naturally invites outside ideas. One recent mock-trade concept pushed that uncertainty even further, floating a scenario in which Cleveland would send Gabriel and a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick to Atlanta for Tua Tagovailoa.
It is purely a thought experiment, not a confirmed report, but it taps into the bigger conversation around how Cleveland should handle its long-running QB uncertainty. For a team that has spent plenty of time trying to stabilize the position, even an off-the-wall proposal like this lands because it speaks to a very real need for answers, and the next move remains anything but settled. [Read more 🡒]