NFL analyst Adam Schein doesn't expect the Cleveland Browns to turn things around in 2026. While he believes Shedeur Sanders has already done enough to earn the starting quarterback job over Deshaun Watson, Schein argues the Browns are once again headed toward another disappointing season.

“And then you have the Browns, you poor, poor people of Cleveland," the New York Post Sports commentator said on July 7. “I just wish Shedeur Sanders would get the keys to the car. I actually thought Shedeur's rookie season was solid."

Schein believes Sanders showed enough promise as a rookie to earn the starting job. Instead, he expects Cleveland to continue debating its quarterback situation, a decision he believes will only prolong the franchise's struggles.

Sanders took over after Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion in Week 10 and gradually established himself as Cleveland's top passer.

After struggling in his NFL debut against Baltimore, he finished the season with 1,400 passing yards, seven touchdowns, a 73.9% completion rate, and even earned a Pro Bowl appearance.

Yet, Sanders’ efforts appear futile. Schein opined that the Browns’ decision-makers have their eyes locked on his competitor.

“The problem is, you’ve got the Monk Man and Jimmy Haslam. They’re still messing around with Deshaun Watson. Why is this even a thing?” Schein asked on Schein Time (YouTube @nypostsports). 

New head coach Todd Monken praised Watson’s athleticism, calling it his “superpower.” He stated that the team has “two starting-level quarterbacks.”

The 30-year-old QB has returned after a long absence caused by a ruptured Achilles tendon. 2026 is Watson’s final season with the Browns per his guaranteed $230 million contract. 

In his absence last year, the Browns went 5-12. But in 2026, with Monken leading them, Schein believes they are destined to replicate the 2024 record.

Schein believes the quarterback situation isn't the Browns' only problem. He also pointed to one offseason decision that, in his view, made Cleveland even less competitive.

Adam Schein says Myles Garrett trade doomed the Browns

On June 1, the Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Rams traded their defensive ends. The Browns parted ways with two-time and reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett. Adam Schein, on the same show, strongly disapproves of this trade. 

“They don’t have Myles Garrett. Whenever you trade the best defensive player in the NFL, you get worse,” he said in his rant against the franchise’s decisions. “I think the Browns are going to be in dead last in the division. The Cleveland Browns remain the Cleveland Browns. They are a laughing stock. They are a joke.”

This exchange occurred after Garrett’s record-setting season. With 23 sacks, he set the record for most sacks by a player in a season and led the Browns’ defense at the top of the charts. The offense was 30th overall with 262.1 yards per game. 

For Schein, the combination of an unresolved quarterback situation and the decision to trade Garrett leaves Cleveland facing another uphill climb. That's why he believes the Browns are once again headed for the bottom of the AFC North.

With the defense cornerstone gone and the starter quarterback undecided, are the Browns set to rank last in the AFC North? What are your thoughts? 

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Rudra Dubey