The Cleveland Browns are heading into their 2026 opener with a Week 1 problem that has followed them for more than two decades.
Cleveland opens the regular season on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, then stays in Florida for another road matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But before the games even arrive, the numbers around opening weekend are hard to ignore: since 1999, the Browns have been the NFL’s worst team in Week 1 by a wide margin.
In that stretch, Cleveland has gone 3-23-1 in opening games. The lone tie came in 2018, when the Browns and Steelers finished 21-21 on kickoff weekend.
The next closest team since 2000 is the Giants with eight Week 1 wins, nearly triple Cleveland’s total. Houston, despite entering the league in 2002, already has 11 opening-week victories.
Quarterback has been a big part of the story. Since 1999, the Browns have started 20 different quarterbacks in Week 1, and only three of them have managed to win: Jeff Garcia in 2004, Jacoby Brissett in 2022 and Deshaun Watson in 2023. Watson is set to start again next Sunday.
There is at least some context that favors Cleveland’s chances this year. Based on the 2025 season, the Browns have the easiest strength of schedule in the league, with their 2026 opponents combining for a .429 winning percentage last season. Only three opponents on the schedule finished 2025 with a winning record, and the Jaguars are one of them, along with the Texans and Steelers.
Still, the quarterback decision has already stirred plenty of frustration. New head coach Todd Monken chose Watson over Shedeur Sanders to open the season, even though Sanders was the only passer to record more than one win for the team last year.
If Watson starts as expected, he will become only the second quarterback since 1999 to start three different Week 1 games for the Browns, joining Baker Mayfield, the former No. 1 pick Watson was brought in to replace in 2022.
That also gives Watson a chance to do something no Browns quarterback has done since 1999: win multiple Week 1 games.
Whether that would change how the fan base feels is another matter. The source of the frustration goes beyond one opener, especially after Watson’s post-game meltdown following Week 2 of the preseason, when he lashed out at Browns fans for booing him during the third quarter and called the situation “personal” and “not performance related.”
Even so, a win to start the season would give Cleveland something tangible to build on as it chases its first postseason berth in three years and continues searching for a long-term answer at quarterback.
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 🡒]