Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken on the field before the game against the Washington Commanders at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken on the field before the game against the Washington Commanders at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Jul 8, 2026, 4:53 PM CUT
“tough sell with their quarterback situation”: Analyst sounds alarm on browns’ 2026 season despite easy schedule
The Cleveland Browns are expected to have an easy schedule in the NFL in 2026. However, with the quarterback competition consisting of Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel, an NFL analyst remains doubtful.
The host during the Cleveland Browns' 2026 Season Preview on the NFL’s official YouTube channel show explained why the Browns would have little to show for their schedule advantage without having good quarterback play.
"That's a tough sell with their quarterback sitch being what it is, even for a doofus in a bag," the analyst said on the Cleveland Browns 2026 Season Preview on the NFL YouTube channel.
Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken makes a joke about the construction noise as he gets ready to address the media after team OTAs at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus of the Cleveland Browns in Berea, Ohio on June 2, 2026.
Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken makes a joke about the construction noise as he gets ready to address the media after team OTAs at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus of the Cleveland Browns in Berea, Ohio on June 2, 2026.
The official prediction given on the NFL official video was that the Browns would have fewer than seven wins this year.
Expectations around the Cleveland Browns remain rock-bottom heading into 2026, with several prominent NFL.com analysts forecasting another difficult campaign.
Lance Zierlein projected a 5-12 finish, Bucky Brooks wasn't much more optimistic at 6-11, while NFL.com's Brooke Cersosimo went even further, predicting a league-worst 2-15 season.
Deshaun Watson is completing the final year of his $230 million contract. He’s only completed 19 games in the past 3 seasons and has been suspended and injured (most recently having a ruptured Achilles in 2025).
Watson's record in Houston makes him an obvious talent. He threw for 14,539 yards and recorded 104 touchdowns in just four seasons. But it has been about half a decade since those days.
That uncertainty about who Cleveland’s quarterback is projected to be not only affects the odds of Cleveland winning. In fact, even the head coach isn't projected to do well this year.
Monken slots 30th in NFL head coach rankings for 2026
Saints Wire's Arye Pulli ranked the NFL's 32 head coaches before the 2026 season and placed Monken at 30, with two other first-year coaches ranked higher, and then LeFleur and Hafley.
Pulli noted the unknowns and Monken's background.
"Monken was a highly respected offensive coordinator in the Harbaugh regime with the Baltimore Ravens, giving him a real foundation, and after adding a few playmakers in the 2026 NFL Draft, Cleveland could have some firepower this season," Pulli wrote, via Cory Kinnan, Browns Wire, July 3, 2026.
As of July 3, 2026, per Cory Kinnan of Browns Wire, the quarterback competition between Watson and Sanders is still open. Preseason will give insight as to how well Monken can control the competition.
This ranking depicts where outside analysts believe the Browns are at the beginning of their rebuilding phase.
Read more at the Cleveland Browns Community!
Written by
Abhay Bharti
Edited by
Aadesh Dhote