The Browns’ run game has been a mess, but the fix doesn’t require tearing the whole thing down.
That’s the point here: Cleveland’s rushing attack has been broken since last season, yet it still looks salvageable if the right adjustments are made. Todd Monken has been handed the job of cleaning it up, and while the problem is still there, it isn’t beyond repair.
One of the cleanest answers is also the simplest: the Browns should temporarily move away from Outside Zone concepts. Right now, the roster just doesn’t fit that style.
Cleveland does not have another in-blocking tight end on the roster, and Quinshon Judkins doesn’t appear to have his explosiveness back after surgery on his fibula and ankle. When he has enough room on the edge, he can make plays, but the outside stuff is not paying off at the moment.
The better lane for this group is inside. Audric Estime, the recent addition to the running back room, brings a more north-south style, and the offense looked different with him in the mix.
On the tape from Sunday, the Browns had more success when they ran between the guards and tackles. Inside zone gives them a better chance to stay on schedule, and that’s where Monken should lean.
Cleveland also needs to cut back on how often it operates under center. Monken addressed the issue last week, and Deshaun Watson said he doesn’t have a preference, while also noting that many quarterbacks are more comfortable out of shotgun than under center.
Both have a point. But the Browns need to be honest about what their quarterbacks can and can’t do.
Watson has never looked comfortable under center and has been more suited to shotgun, where he has thrived for much of his career. Shedeur Sanders is not a natural answer there either; he spent most if not all of his career in shotgun and had success at Colorado, but his rookie season showed how much of a learning curve under center can be.
The bigger issue is that shotgun itself has become too easy to read. Cleveland can stay in it, but it has to become less predictable. More motion would help, forcing the defense to move and think instead of letting linebackers sit there and key in on the mesh point of the Browns’ backs.
The other obvious need is at tight end. Cleveland does not currently have a dependable blocking tight end, and that matters more than it might seem.
Harold Fannin Jr. is willing, but he’s not the best blocker, and asking him to do too much keeps him out of pass routes. Blake Whiteheart has also been asked to carry more than he should.
The Browns could make life easier on the whole offense by trading for or signing a tight end who can block.
That need was already on the team’s radar in the draft, but other clubs beat them to those targets, including the New Orleans Saints taking Oscar Delp, one of the names Cleveland was interested in.
So the answer here isn’t a full rebuild. It’s a set of short-term corrections that could make the run game workable again later in the season.
The Browns don’t need to overhaul everything. They just need to stop asking the wrong pieces to solve the wrong problems.
In Other News...
Browns Winning Streak Could Force Todd Monken Into A Brutal Decision
The Browns have found enough ways to win that a 4-2 start has kept them right in the thick of things, but it has not solved the bigger offensive questions hanging over the team. Cleveland has been fighting through issues in both the run game and the passing game, and while Todd Monken has praised the groups fight, he has also been clear that the offense still has room to grow.
That leaves the quarterback conversation getting harder by the week. Deshaun Watson has given Cleveland strong fourth-quarter play, but the early-game inconsistency is still part of the equation, and the idea of turning to backup Shedeur Sanders keeps hovering over the situation. If the Browns keep winning, Monken may be forced to weigh whether changing quarterbacks is worth the risk of disrupting a streak that has already bought the team some breathing room. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Offense Is Creating A Harold Fannin Jr. Debate
Harold Fannin Jr. was one of the Browns most productive pass catchers in 2025, leading Cleveland in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns and quickly establishing himself as a central part of the offense. Through the first six games of 2026, though, his role has looked a little different. The Browns have added more weapons around him, and the passing game has been more dispersed, which has naturally led to a slowdown in his yards per catch and target volume.
Deshaun Watson and Todd Monken have both framed that shift as a matter of matchups and game situations rather than a sign of concern, with the offense spreading the ball around as opponents try to take away different options. Fannin has kept the focus on helping the Browns win, even if the individual numbers are quieter than they were a year ago, and that makes his place in the offense a little more intriguing as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Still Have One Clear Trade Deadline Need Up Front
The Browns have tried to patch together the front with offseason additions like Tytus Howard, Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins, and the results have been better in spots, but the offensive line still looks like the clearest place where help is needed before the trade deadline. Pass protection and run blocking have both lagged in the numbers, and the issues in the ground game have been especially hard to ignore for a team that wants more balance on offense.
A proven interior lineman would give Cleveland something it has not consistently had this season, and the trade market could offer a few interesting names if the Browns decide to act. Quenton Nelson, Landon Dickerson and Ben Bredeson are among the possibilities being floated, and each would fit the profile of a move aimed at stabilizing the middle of the line rather than chasing a more cosmetic fix. [Read more 🡒]