The Cleveland Browns are at a crossroads right now, though I suppose, when one looks at the history of the Browns, the franchise is often at a crossroads. But with former head coach Kevin Stefanski gone, the most recent era of Browns football has ended, and a new one has started. A new coaching staff often wants to bring in "their guys" at some point, so the current Browns players are likely to face a lot of pressure in 2026 if they want to remain part of the team's future plans.
That will put particular pressure on a certain group of Browns: players who are set to have large roles in 2026, but who don't have a proven track record to suggest that they should remain Browns starters beyond 2026. The team isn't dropping Myles Garrett or Mason Graham after this season, but there are some players who are playing for their future.
QB Shedeur Sanders
I think it's fairly obvious which Browns player is under the most pressure in 2026: quarterback Shedeur Sanders. A week into free agency and the Browns haven't added any competition for Sanders, which seemingly means that Sanders will be the starter for the 2026 season. I suppose it's possible that the team gives Deshaun Watson another shot or brings in a rookie for competition, but more than likely, Sanders is the team's Week 1 starter.
But here's the thing: new head coach Todd Monken has nothing invested in Sanders, so if he fails, he's not going to have a very long leash. And if he is going to succeed, he'll need to play a lot better than he did in 2025, especially when it's not clear that Sanders was even that much better than Dillon Gabriel last season.
Record | Completion Percentage | Touchdown Rate | Interception Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Shedeur Sanders | 3-4 | 56.6 | 3.3 | 4.2 |
Dillon Gabriel | 1-5 | 59.5 | 3.8 | 1.1 |
Sanders has a better arm than Gabriel, but also worse decision making. If one of the two is going to develop into a long-term starter, you bet on Sanders because of the talent, but you don't necessarily feel good about that bet, you know?
So, what does success look like for Sanders? What constitutes a performance good enough to justify not drafting a quarterback in 2027? Three things: his completion percentage has rise to over 60 percent, his interception rate needs to be cut in half, and the Browns need to win enough games with Sanders under center that they no longer are in a position to add a more talented quarterback in the draft. Accomplishing all of those things is a tall order.
RB Dylan Sampson
If a team drafts two running backs in the same class and then, a year later, a new head coach takes over, I don't really think I want to be the running back who was chosen second.
Quinshon Judkins was unquestionable the primary back for the Browns last season, and his second-round draft cost likely will factor into how the new regime views the backfield.
Rushing Attempts Per Game | |
|---|---|
Quinshon Judkins | 16.4 |
Dylan Sampson | 4.3 |
Sampson, who the Browns drafted in the fourth round last season, was a bit of a disaster as a rookie, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry, which is, uhh...I don't know how to say that other than by just using the word "bad," because that's what it is.
Digging a bit deeper, Sampson ranked 71st among running backs in true yards per carry, though his receiving numbers saved him a bit. He actually led all running backs in yards per route run.
But Sampson has to prove that he can at least be a non-liability on the ground. His ability to make plays as a receiving back is great, but is he good enough at that one skill to negate the fact that he averaged under three yards per carry?
WR Jerry Jeudy
The Browns acquired Jerry Jeudy ahead of the 2024 season, and he instantly looked like he would live up to his original upside coming into the league. Jeudy's 1,229 receiving yards were a career high. The Browns seemed to have found a true No. 1 receiver.
But 2025 was a disastrous downturn for the former Alabama star, as his receiving yards were cut by more than half, with Jeudy finishing the season with just 602 yards. He also dropped from four touchdowns in 2024 to two last season, and his 35.4 receiving yards per game was the lowest mark of his six-year NFL career.
Jeudy entered 2025 as a potential franchise cornerstone. He now enters 2026 with his entire future in Cleveland in doubt. While he's under contract for 2027, the Browns can get out of the deal relatively cheaply, with a $3.575 million dead cap hit in 2027 and 2028 if he's a post-June 1 cut next offseason.
LT Dawand Jones
The Browns shored up the right tackle spot by trading for Houston's Tytus Howard, but the team still has to figure out what to do after left tackle.
Dawand Jones, a fourth-round pick in 2023, started three games last season before an LCL tear ended his season. The Browns haven't made other moves this offseason at tackle aside from the Howard trade, so it sounds like the expectation will be for Jones to start.
However, Jones wasn't necessarily playing well pre-injury. His PFF grade was just 32.8 overall when he went down — sample size matters here, as a healthy Jones could have improved, but it's still worth noting that the grade ranks 132nd of the 134 tackles to play snaps last season.
I would assume that the Browns will add a tackle in the NFL Draft, as the team has a pair of first-round picks, and people expect Utah's Caleb Lomu to be available there. It's possible that Jones just doesn't have any hope of saving a starting job, but there's still a chance he can earn a valuable role as the third tackle.
S Grant Delpit
In contrast to the Browns offense, the Browns defense doesn't feel like it has as many make-or-break guys in it, but one I am curious about is safety Grant Delpit.
The former LSU safety has been solid for the Browns, but he's also entering the final year of his contract. Will Cleveland trust him enough to extend him?
Delpit's career numbers have been all over the place, but I really don't love seeing how high the passer rating when he's targeted has been.
Season | Passer Rating When Targeted |
|---|---|
2021 | 99.9 |
2022 | 82.6 |
2023 | 99.8 |
2024 | 134.0 |
2025 | 92.8 |
If the Browns were sure that Delpit was part of the future, an extension would have happened by now. The fact that it hasn't speaks volumes about where the team likely views him as being at right now, but the Browns also have more pressing needs as far as the draft goes, so it's far from a guarantee that they draft a Delpit replacement this year. That makes 2026 very important if he wants to earn a long-term deal with the franchise.