The Browns’ preseason slate is about more than tuning up. For a roster with real questions to answer, these games are a chance to sort out who’s ready, who isn’t, and where the depth chart starts to take shape.
At quarterback, Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are the names to watch. Watson is set to start against the Chicago Bears, while Sanders will get the first crack against the Buffalo Bills. Both have plenty to prove, and both need to make their snaps count if they want to separate from the pack and push their case for the regular-season job.
There’s also a lot riding on the offensive line, which has been reshaped this year and still needs clarity at center. Fifth-round pick Parker Brailsford is expected to back up Elgton Jenkins, but that spot is hardly locked down. Brailsford has been dealing with a wrist injury, yet a healthy preseason could give him a real shot to compete for the starting role or at least hold off Luke Wypler for the No. 2 job.
Beyond the individual battles, the Browns just need time together. The line has to build chemistry, and the defense can use these games to face offenses that bring high-level quarterback play and more continuity than a typical practice setting.
The wins and losses themselves won’t move the needle much. But for a team in the middle of significant change, these preseason reps matter because they help shape the decisions that will define the season ahead.
In Other News...
Deshaun Watson Just Reignited The Browns Problem Fans Wanted Gone
The Browns are using their preseason opener against the Bears to give Deshaun Watson another turn as the starting quarterback, a reminder that his path back is still part of the conversation in Cleveland. Watson has not played since October 2024 because of Achilles injuries, and the teams depth-chart decisions continue to carry extra weight with the season approaching and uncertainty still hanging over the most important position on the roster.
Clevelands salary-cap limitations make it difficult to bring in meaningful competition or simply move on from him, which leaves the club managing both the football and financial sides of the situation at the same time. The Browns are planning to designate Watson as a post-June 1 release in March 2027, a move that would bring dead-cap hits but finally close the book on the contract obligations that have shaped so much of the roster conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Linebacker Battle Just Opened A Surprising Starting Opportunity
The Browns first unofficial depth chart of the 2026 season offered an early glimpse at how the linebacker room is shaking out, and Easton Mascarenas-Arnold emerged as one of the more interesting names on it. The undrafted free agent from USC has worked his way into a role with the base 4-3 defense, positioning himself ahead of Nathaniel Watson, Winston Reid and rookie Justin Jefferson in a group that is still sorting itself out.
Mascarenas-Arnolds climb has also come at a time when Carson Schwesinger is sidelined with a minor injury, opening the door for more reps and a longer look in camp. Even if the depth chart is unofficial, the placement suggests the Browns view him as a legitimate piece of the roster puzzle, and he is now widely expected to make the 53-man roster. [Read more 🡒]
Deshaun Watson Just Put More Pressure On The Browns Quarterback Plan
Deshaun Watson got an extended look in the preseason opener against the Bears, and on paper the first half checked plenty of boxes. He completed more than 70 percent of his passes for 129 yards and a touchdown, the kind of line that can quiet some of the noise around Clevelands quarterback situation, even in August.
But the play-by-play did not look nearly as clean as the stat sheet. Watson appeared uneasy in the pocket and took a strip-sack, while his mobility never really showed up the way it usually can, which keeps the focus on how sharp and stable he can be once the games start counting. Shedeur Sanders also added another layer to the discussion with a mixed outing that included an interception, and the Browns now have more than one quarterback performance to weigh as the competition gets closer to the point where it has to mean something. [Read more 🡒]