Cleveland Browns

Projected Cap Space: -$11.5 million

Draft Picks: 10

• 1st (No. 6)
• 1st (No. 24, JAX)
• 2nd (No. 39)
• 3rd (No. 70)
• 4th (No. 107)
• 5th (No. 139, LV)
• 5th (No. 144)
• 5th (No. 147, CIN)
• 6th (No. 204, CHI)
• 7th (No. 248, SEA)

Notable Free Agents: 

• G Joel Bitonio
• G Wyatt Teller
• TE David Njoku
• LB Devin Bush
• CB Martin Emerson
• RT Jack Conklin
• S Ronnie Hickman
• C Ethan Pocic
• LT Cam Robinson
• DT Shelby Harris
• LB Jerome Baker
• G Teven Jenkins
• P Corey Bojorquez
• RB Jerome Ford
• S Rayshawn Jenkins
• LB Mohamoud Diabate (RFA)

Top Three Needs

1 – Offensive Line

The Browns might be the first team in NFL history to have a completely brand new starting five along the offensive line from one season to the next. At a minimum, it has not happened in a while. From left to right, Cleveland’s entire lineup is on expiring deals, from Robinson to Bitonio to Pocic to Teller to Conklin. Robinson, Teller and Conklin are likely gone, while Pocic is coming off a major injury and Bitonio is heavily considering retirement. 

Cleveland has a few young players under contract that in an ideal world would be ready to step into bigger roles, including OT Dawand Jones, G Zak Zinter and C Luke Wypler. Jones has been the most promising but he has struggled to stay healthy, getting hurt every single season so far and playing 24 games in three years. At 6-8 and 375 pounds, there are real questions about whether his weight is sustainable. Zinter was a third-round pick in 2024 but hasn’t been able to crack the lineup, even when injuries have created opportunities. 

The Browns will invest a notable chunk of their 10 picks here but also look for them to add some veterans so they’re not completely reliant on rookies in an area where growing pains can negatively impact the rest of the offense. 

2 – Wide Receiver

It’s really remarkable how bad the offense has gotten for the Browns. There are major concerns everywhere except running back and tight end. Cleveland desperately needs more pass-catching talent regardless of who ends up being the quarterback for the Browns next year or in the future. After a breakout in his first season in Cleveland, Browns WR Jerry Jeudy regressed hard and wasn’t able to push past the broader struggles on offense. Instead, he fed into them with drops and other errors. 

The Browns are stuck with Jeudy for another season since his salary is guaranteed, and he’s only making a little under $7 million so they can give him a year to snap out of his funk. Last season made it clear, however, that he’s better off as a No. 2, not the featured weapon in the passing game. Cedric Tillman and Isaiah Bond are some young players the Browns have invested in recently but more help here is needed.  

3 – Cornerback

One of the few cornerstone players the Browns have is CB Denzel Ward, and he was a huge part of a defense that singlehandedly kept the Browns competitive at times last year. Cleveland traded former first-round CB Greg Newsome II during the season for Jaguars CB Tyson Campbell, and the Browns feel pretty solid about that swap. As a duo, Ward and Campbell is pretty solid. 

Slot corner is a major question mark, though, and a spot where the Browns could look to add a difference-making player. Ward is also turning 29 this offseason and cornerback isn’t known as a position that has a long shelf life past 30. There are other more pressing needs but this is an area where the Browns should try to think ahead if they can. 

One Big Question

Who’s the quarterback? 

As Browns fans well know, quarterback is its own special deal in Cleveland. It’s not clear if the Week 1 starter is on the roster right now or not, and even if he is, the odds are high that multiple quarterbacks will be under center for the Browns this season. This season is as much about finding someone who can be banked on as the 2027 Week 1 starter as well, not just 2026. 

That long-term option has eluded the Browns despite their best efforts. Right now, they have Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. Watson is finishing out the last year of the five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed monstrosity the team handed him in a huge trade years ago. That deal has handicapped the Browns and is largely to blame for the current tattered shape of their offense. It’s prevented the team from cutting Watson, and while he missed all of last year with a torn Achilles, it’s conceivable he could find his way back into the lineup this year. 

Sanders would be the current favorite to open as the starter after a shocking slide all the way into the fifth round last year. He spent most of the season as the third stringer but finally got the nod for the last seven games. The results weren’t super inspiring but a 3-4 record considering the circumstances wasn’t horrible, and he did have some flashes amidst a pretty poor overall offensive environment. Sanders developing into a franchise starter at the cost of a Day 3 pick would be a dream for the Browns’ front office. 

Gabriel was a pick that seemed to be championed by the former coaching staff. If the team adds to the room again as expected, he’s probably the odd one out. How the Browns add remains an open question, with potential targets in free agency, the draft and the trade market. There aren’t any obvious starter upgrades, however, so unless the Browns get lucky, they might be right back in this position in 2027.