The first Sunday of the 2026 NFL season is here, and Week 1 opens with a Browns game that will have plenty of eyes in these parts: Cleveland on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It’s part of a busy slate that starts with Tampa Bay at Cincinnati, another Baker Mayfield-Joe Burrow meeting. Mayfield has won six of his eight career games against the Bengals, which makes that one look especially interesting.
In the AFC North, Baltimore visits Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh hosts Atlanta in a game that carries an extra wrinkle: the Falcons will start Cooper Rush at quarterback because Tua Tagovailoa is out with an oblique injury. Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski will be facing his old team, and maybe he can find a way to help the Falcons get past the Steelers.
The late afternoon brings two more matchups worth watching, with Green Bay opening at Minnesota and Washington heading to Philadelphia to face the Eagles. Sunday night closes with Dallas at the New York Giants, the kind of rivalry the networks never seem to let go of.
For Browns fans, the bigger focus is naturally on Cleveland’s opener, and there’s plenty to watch beyond the final score. The Browns’ new defensive coordinator, Mike Rutenberg, said, “We’re arriving with bad intentions”, and now the question is whether the defense can back that up on the field.
Cleveland also made a couple of roster moves ahead of the trip to Jacksonville, elevating linebacker Nathaniel Wilson and cornerback D’Angelo Ross from the practice squad.
On offense, the rookies are expected to be in the spotlight when the Browns have the ball. And when it comes to the quarterback room, general manager Andrew Berry is taking a positive approach.
There’s also a familiar face on the other sideline. Browns cornerback Tyson Campbell is headed back to Jacksonville, where he said he “grew up a lot”.
Around the league, the quarterback chatter doesn’t stop. ESPN looked at how Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins is approaching Year 15, while the Tampa Bay Times noted that the Buccaneers have been waiting decades for edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr.
The season is underway, and the Browns are right in the middle of the opening-day conversation.
In Other News...
Browns Suddenly Have A Deshaun Watson Question They Cant Ignore
Deshaun Watsons return from Achilles injuries gave the Browns a long-awaited answer on Sunday, but it also created a fresh layer of uncertainty. In his first game action since the 2024 season, Watson completed 16 of 22 passes for 205 yards with a touchdown and an interception, though he also took five sacks in a loss to the Jaguars. Cleveland had been waiting to see how he would look physically and how the offense would function with him back under center, and the first outing at least showed the team still has work to do.
Afterward, coach Todd Monken pushed back on the idea that the loss should fall on Watson alone and said the Browns would evaluate everything moving forward. What Monken did not do was give Watson a clear runway to the next game against the Buccaneers, leaving the quarterback situation open for now. For a Browns team trying to stabilize an offense that has already been through so much, that silence may be just as important as the performance itself. [Read more 🡒]
Myles Garrett Update Suddenly Raises A Browns Trade Concern
Myles Garretts move to the Rams was already one of the biggest storylines for Cleveland to monitor after the trade sent the Browns a package built around Jared Verse and three future draft picks. Now there is a new wrinkle on the other side of the deal, with Garrett dealing with a knee injury that will require arthroscopic surgery and keep him on injured reserve for at least four weeks.
For the Browns, the concern is less about Garretts short-term availability in Los Angeles than about what it means for the assets they just acquired. If the Rams feel the effects of losing him on the field, that could ripple into the value of the draft picks Cleveland is counting on, adding another layer of uncertainty to a trade already carrying plenty of long-term significance. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Suddenly Have A Backfield Question Behind Quinshon Judkins
Dylan Sampsons knee injury has quickly turned a stable-looking depth chart into a fresh backfield problem for Cleveland. Sampson was ruled out in the first half, and now the Browns are expected to turn to Jaleel McLaughlin, who was not initially elevated for the season opener but is suddenly in position to help behind Quinshon Judkins.
McLaughlin brings a different look to the offense after spending time with the Denver Broncos, and his smaller frame has not kept him from showing real rushing ability. His style also fits the idea of a complementary piece, which is why his name is now moving to the front of the conversation as Cleveland sorts out the touches behind Judkins. [Read more 🡒]