Browns Ownership Says Team Is Close to Competing for Super Bowl

Are the Cleveland Browns just a few improvements away from competing for and ultimately winning a Super Bowl?

New Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken, center, poses with members of the ownership group, from left, Jimmy Haslam, JW Johnson and Whitney Haslam-Johnson during Monken’s introductory press conference at the team's training facility, Feb. 3, 2026. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The year is 2026 and the Cleveland Browns are still looking for a franchise quarterback. Thus, even entertaining any Super Bowl talk for the team usually results in ridicule.

That still won't stop the usual offseason optimism, especially from within the organization itself.

JW Johnson, part of the ownership group and Jimmy and Dee Haslam's son-in-law, recently appeared on the "BIGPLAY Cleveland Show" and made a strong claim:

"People don't think we're as close as we are."

"People don't think we are as close as we are." #DawgPound

Owner @JDubsIII expresses his belief in how close the Cleveland Browns are to winning the Super Bowl.

presented by @FanDuel https://t.co/sNKNQJSEH5 pic.twitter.com/tWHKVrtATD

— BIGPLAY Cleveland Show (@BIGPLAYCLEshow) February 25, 2026

Johnson hyping the team up makes sense, as he can really say whatever he wants in his role. But should fans take him seriously?

The Browns remain a team full of unknowns

Johnson is not totally off in his assessment, even if fans think his take is far too bold.

The NFL is full of parity and annual "worst-to-first" teams. The Browns were also a few plays away from reaching the AFC Championship Game during the 2020 season.

The 2025 season ended with a 5-12 record, but the defense featured the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett. And don't forget about the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Carson Schwesinger.

Johnson, like any Browns fan, witnessed a championship-caliber defense in 2025. The problem was the JV-level offense for much of the year.

So are the Browns close? The defense may be, but the offense is the same story it has been for nearly three decades. The frustrating reality is that every passing year is one more year of prime performance for players like Garrett, Denzel Ward, Grant Delpit, and others.

The Browns may not be far, but they certainly aren't close until they find a real franchise quarterback. And unfortunately, 2026 appears to be another year of kicking the can down the road in that regard.

The current situation sees Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders battling it out for the starting job. Watson makes most sense given his $46 million salary, but he's also on the last year of his gargantuan deal. If he has no future in Cleveland, it may make more sense to go with Sanders.

Yet the Browns didn't draft Sanders in the fifth round, two rounds after selecting Dillon Gabriel, to be the quarterback of the future. He can seize that title, but it would be a shocking outcome to say the least.

Johnson is not wrong in that the Browns really are just a competent quarterback away from sniffing contention. The problem is the fact the talking point has not gone away for what seems like forever.