CLEVELAND, OHIO (TheOBR.com) - Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
THE DAILY BLOVIATION
There's no doubt that the Browns face a critical off-season in 2026. When a team goes 3-14 and then 2-8, each off-season is vital. Last year was the first year in a while that the Browns had a first-round pick, and GM Andrew Berry inarguably knocked the ball out of the park with the 2025 draft, despite largely ignoring the developing issues on the offensive line. The 2025 draft provided a nucleus that can potentially turn the Browns fortunes around.
For that to happen, the Cleveland Browns need an excellent 2026 off-season as well.
Part of the reason that the 2026 off-season will be so critical is that the Browns' issues are remarkably specific. The team's defense is largely set, although depth at defensive back may be a concern in later rounds or free agency. Berry knows, as does nearly everyone paying the slightest attention to the Browns, that he needs to focus on the offense.
Specifically, the Browns have needs at the offensive line, wide receiver, and quarterback positions. The first need is dire, with three to four new talents needed to bolster a group whose ineffectiveness is so severe that it becomes difficult to accurately assess the seriousness of the situation at the other two position groups. But I think we've seen enough to know that the WR room needs depth, and that quarterback is not an elite position for the team, no offense to Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The latter may be intriguing with time, but it appears he is nowhere close to being an effective starter in the NFL.
Given that the Browns don't have an infinite number of top picks to rebuild everything in a year, I posed a question during Gang of Three that I'd like to revisit here.
Namely, the question is whether it makes sense to "build the plane before selecting the pilot", meaning that the Browns should expend their draft and free agency capital on rebuilding the offensive line and WR room before subjecting a new quarterback to trying to operate the offense.
There are a couple of reasons to suggest they should, namely the struggles being faced by first-year quarterbacks like Cam Ward and the two Browns QBs as they're thrust into the position of operating an offense that is clearly defective. Placing a quarterback in a challenging offensive situation can have detrimental long-term effects, as the Browns discovered with Tim Couch and the Texans experienced with David Carr. I'd argue that you even see it a bit with Shedeur Sanders, as his ineffective offensive line at Colorado may have led to bad habits, which are evident on the field and are hard to correct.
If a quarterback is good enough, he can help raise his teammates' level of play, but the Browns' situation is so bad that I'm not sure a Pat Mahomes could correct it.
There's also a case against delaying the use of a top pick on a quarterback. For one thing, Browns fans have endured losing season after losing season and each awful year that passes sheds fans from the fanbase. Browns fans need hope, and soon.
Closer to the field, the team's dominant defense begs for a quick one-year fix to take advantage of the group that the Browns have assembled. The defense won't be dominant forever, as players age or find other opportunities. The time to rebuild the offense is now, in this view. It needs to be a one-year fix.
In a more practical matter, the front office of Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski needs to produce results in 2026, should they get that opportunity. Before this season, owner Jimmy Haslam said another 3-14 campaign "isn't going to cut it", and the chance that the owner will endure another season without hope at the quarterback position is not large.
Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel
Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
However, we've been discussing the draft primarily as a means to inject talent into the team, and the number of draft picks the team can accumulate is limited. There's also free agency, and given the questions I've outlined above, I expect Browns fans to be able to see the team's quarterback strategy well before the 2026 draft.
If the Browns use the 2026 free agency period to spend big on offensive linemen and wide receivers, it becomes clearer that they're heading into the draft with a focus on acquiring Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, or one of the other top quarterbacks. On the other hand, if they reach out to sign or trade for a stopgap veteran QB, it's clear that they might even trade down in the draft to acquire more picks and "rebuild the plane".
That's why I think that Browns fans will know the team's draft strategy by late March, as their actions during free agency are likely to show you their intent and level of interest in this year's quarterback class, especially with a projected top-flight 2027 class that could include Julian Sayin, Arch Manning and more.
Then again, we said that about the 2026 class, which many NFL analysts are skeptical will provide a franchise-changing talent at the quarterback position. Part of the equation is seeing how these QBs do down the stretch and into the College Football Playoffs. Who knows - by the middle of January, one or more of these quarterbacks could look a lot better than they do now.
In any event, we're going to learn a lot more about the Browns future as the college season reaches its close, and I suspect we'll know the team's plans, by and large, before the draft even starts.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive
CLEVELAND BROWNS GOODIES
CLEVELAND BROWNS VIDEOS
Gang of Three: Browns Lose as Shedeur Debuts - (youtube.com)
Browns 3D-SHEDEUR SANDERS should get the start in Las Vegas - (youtube.com)
CLEVELAND BROWNS MESSAGE BOARD POSTS
ASK THE INSIDERS (VIP)
Bernie Update
WR analysis RE: QB & WR
Jack - trade Watson
Where did Gabriel get hurt?
Is JOK done for good?
WR analysis RE: QB & WR
When does the mentality change ….
WR group analysis
QB Practice Reps
THE WATERCOOLER
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A Report Sanders Is Expected to Start Sun
OT - Franklin to Va. Tech
The upside of playing road game
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This is how bad this line is
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Pray for Bernie
LiveWire Thread for 1117 - Twitter, Articles, Videos
The Importance of a First Round WR
One Word Monday
Gabriel to start next week
Off the Leash with Fred Greetham
Myles Garrett shares what Shedeur Sanders after loss
LiveWire Thread for 1117 - Twitter, Articles, Videos
OT- Browns Team Value 17th
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
Is an aurora cruise worth it? I joined Hurtigruten's Signature Voyage to find out - (space.com)
I think it's a basic human need, at least for people with inquisitive minds and unsettled souls, to seek connection with the universe, to understand that there's more to life and our purpose than getting up and going to work so you can pay for food. I find great value in witnessing nature on a massive scale, whether it's sitting by the ocean or gazing up at the moon.
To me, the solar eclipse we enjoyed a while back here in Ohio was a major event. I enjoyed it with my family, and it was amazing. Even catching a small glimpse of Haley's comet many years ago stands out in my mind.
One thing I've always wanted to do is witness the Northern Lights, which I've never seen. I didn't know Northern Light cruises even existed, but now one is on my bucket list, if I'm ever able to afford it.
WRAPPING UP
When not blocking the sidewalk by staring open-mouthed up at the sky, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
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