Super Bowl LXI Road Map: Why the Browns Are in Repair Mode, not Rebuild Mode

Cleveland’s 2025 draft class, along with the recent trade of Myles Garrett, has the team well-positioned with plenty of assets. Now they just need a franchise QB.

First-year coach Todd Monken is giving Deshaun Watson every chance to win the starting quarterback job in a competition with Shedeur Sanders. | Lisa Scalfaro / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Super Bowl Road Maps: Jaguars | Bears 

Welcome to Super Bowl LXI road maps, where we look at every team’s chances of winning it all in 2026. We’ll analyze the summer optimism before providing a reality check of what’s to come. Next path to assess: the Browns.

The difficulty level on Todd Monken’s new gig in Cleveland was cranked all the way up recently, and not just because he lost the best defender in the league. 

Monken, having to affirm to his players that the team has no intention of tanking after the blockbuster trade that sent Myles Garrett to Los Angeles, could be just as challenging as having to replace the star edge rusher’s production on the field. To top off the series of obstacles, Monken has to manage a highly publicized quarterback battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders.

Unfortunately for Monken, the Browns have all the signs of a team headed toward a losing season. However, Monken can still inspire confidence in his players and hope for the fan base without having to win many games if he can provide a pretty picture of the future. GM Andrew Berry and team ownership essentially said the future is more important than the present after trading Garrett, a louder statement than last year’s decision to trade the No. 2 pick to Jacksonville for a handful of picks. If Monken can get the most out of his young players and mold a strong core in 2026, especially on offense, that could be considered a successful season ahead of what might be the front office’s final hurdle, also known as mission impossible in Cleveland, and that’s finding a franchise quarterback in the loaded 2027 draft. 

What Monken is being asked to do isn’t too different from what Kevin Stefanski had to deal with in his final season as coach, but again, Monken’s job is more challenging because painting a pretty picture of the future can’t happen without a productive offensive scheme in place. That department got ugly in Stefanski’s final two seasons, with the Browns averaging fewer than 17 points per game in 2025 and ’24.

While Monken can thank Stefanski for helping him inherit a roster rich in young talent, he still faces the same limited options at quarterback. Watson, who’s in the final year of his fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract, has been injured for most of his Cleveland tenure and has struggled when available. It probably would be better for the Browns to get a longer look at Sanders, who had an erratic rookie season but showed flashes of upside occasionally in his seven starts. 

It was wise of Monken to tell reporters that he intends to name a starter before training camp. That’s one way to reduce drama for a team that seems to be in it constantly. However, there will likely be plenty of bumps in Monken’s first season, but there’s a lot to like about this roster filled with emerging talent. 

Leadership

It’s not a bad approach for Berry to place “finding a franchise QB” last on his checklist. In a way, it has bought him time to make the most of this latest rebuild in Cleveland. 

But the clock is ticking on this front office because the final piece will likely need to be found in the 2027 draft, which could include a star-studded crop of quarterbacks such as Arch Manning, Dante Moore, Julian Sayin and CJ Carr. Even if Monken does the unthinkable and gets the Browns to the postseason, the team still has two first-round picks and 11 total selections currently to make a move up the draft board in April. That’s one way Monken can reassure his players that he has no intention of tanking. 

Landing a notable first-round signal-caller next year shouldn’t be an issue, but getting that player to produce immediately will be the real challenge. What the to-be-determined quarterback does in 2027 could decide whether Berry will be around longer than that. But it likely won’t matter what the Browns’ current quarterbacks do in ’26, and maybe it should because Berry was the GM when the team handed Watson the fully guaranteed deal in ’22 and executed what could go down as the worst trade in history.  

On the other hand, Berry, who was hired in 2020, deserves credit for delivering a sensational rookie class last year consisting of defensive tackle Mason Graham, tight end Harold Fannin Jr., running back Quinshon Judkins and linebacker Carson Schwesinger, the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Also, this year’s draft class could be just as productive, with the selections of offensive tackle Spencer Fano, safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, and wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.

It’s on Monken, offensive coordinator Travis Switzer, defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg and the rest of the coaching staff to get the most out of this attractive roster—without a franchise quarterback. Soon, Berry will be tasked with providing that missing piece.

The Browns traded Myles Garrett to the Rams and received Jared Verse along with three draft picks. | Mike Cardew / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Most influential roster move

The Browns got worse by trading Garrett to the Rams last week, but they at least gained a talented edge rusher in Jared Verse, who’s only in his third season and viewed across the league as a player with elite upside at his position. Along with Verse, the Browns also gained a 2027 first-rounder, a ’28 second-rounder and a ’29 third-rounder.

Cleveland drew some criticism for not getting at least two first-rounders from the Rams, but Verse alone might be worth a first-rounder and a Day 2 pick. Rams GM Les Snead wasn’t lying when he said it was difficult for him to give up Verse in the deal. Those around the organization viewed the 2024 first-round pick as more than just a special player. He provided energy and played with an edge on the field, which gave his teammates confidence. 

As a rookie, Verse had some words for the Eagles’ rowdy fan base, knowing he would hear from them during the divisional game, and he backed them up by nearly guiding his team to a road playoff victory. Verse did, however, struggle at times with extra attention in his second season, but that created advantageous opportunities for Byron Young, who had 12 sacks for the Rams last season. If Verse learns to close as a sack artist, he could be a dominant force due to his elite strength. 

It said plenty that Snead initially told Berry no when he asked for Verse in the Garrett deal. Berry got his wish and now has Verse and Schwesinger as his foundational pieces for the defense. 

Why this offseason move will (or won’t) work

The left side of the Browns’ offensive line could present some problems for whoever wins the starting quarterback job between Sanders and Watson. 

Cleveland has plans to place rookie first-rounder Fano at left tackle, but some draft experts viewed him as a better guard in the pros. Also, Fano mostly played right tackle during his time at Utah. Newcomer veteran Zion Johnson could be slotted next to Fano at left guard, but the 2022 first-round pick had several up-and-down performances throughout his four seasons with the Chargers. 

Fano and Johnson are two of four new players expected to start on Cleveland’s offensive line, along with right tackle Tytus Howard, who arrived in a trade with Houston, and free-agent addition Elgton Jenkins, who will likely be at center. 

There’s plenty of risk with this retooled offensive line, but on paper, this appears to be a better group than last year’s aging unit. It also helps that Fano and Jenkins have the versatility to play multiple positions in case the initial lineup isn’t productive. 

Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham flashed upside throughout his rookie season. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Breakout player candidate: DT Mason Graham

The Browns’ top pick in their impressive 2025 draft class has been somewhat forgotten. Schwesinger and Fannin probably come to mind first when rattling off the top players from last year’s selections. 

But Graham flashed upside throughout his rookie season, which might have made the Garrett trade a little easier for Berry. Last season, Graham started all 17 games, recording 49 total tackles, seven for loss and half a sack. He also displayed a knack for pushing the pocket and frequently generating pressure despite dealing with a broken rib, a nugget he revealed to reporters recently.

If Graham makes the leap, he could join Verse and Schwesinger as core front players in the post–Garrett era. There’s also plenty of pressure on Graham to pan out because he was selected at No. 5 after the team passed on Travis Hunter at No. 2 and swapped places with the Jaguars.

Missing piece

The team can increase its odds of finding a franchise quarterback in next year’s draft by trading a few more veteran players from now until the trade deadline in November.

Expect cornerback Denzel Ward, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and safety Grant Delpit to surface in trade rumors, especially if the team struggles during the first month of the season. Ward will turn 30 next year and doesn’t have any guaranteed money left on his contract. Jeudy is coming off a rough 2025 season, and the team just drafted two wide receivers in the early rounds. And Delpit is heading into the final season of his deal. 

Realistic outlook 

Strange things happen often in the NFL, where teams go from last to first in one year. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case for the Browns, who have obvious signs of a team headed toward a losing season. They traded their best player before the season, and have a quarterback battle with no clear leader. Browns fans must be tired of constantly rebuilding, but at least there’s some progress in this latest repair thanks to the young talent on the roster.

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