Dawgs By Nature
The 2026 NFL season was supposed to become a playoff run for the Cleveland Browns. Now, the threat of double-digit losses is looming, and jobs are at stake for both players and coaches. And maybe even an executive or two.
Now, there are things to still shoot for.
DE Myles Garrett seems to be a shoo-in for his second NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. Rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger has a great chance to capture the NFL Rookie Defensive Player of the Year award as well. DC Jim Schwartz will be on the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year ballot.
Because the Browns are already almost out of the playoff picture, the rest of the season will be dedicated to showing the rest of the league that these athletes deserve another roster spot as we advance, and to getting paid to play the game instead of taking real estate classes or applying for a substitute teaching position. Nothing wrong with either occupation, unless you are a giant man who was making millions for a short seven months’ worth of work and had football cards produced of your likeness.
Not many autograph requests at an open house event.
“The season that wasn’t” has begun to take on a new direction: to see if Cleveland could obtain the Number 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
During this year’s off-season, it was assumed that the Browns would flip their 14-loss season and clip off several good years with a roster that was built to win now. But losing five of their first six games, it was apparent that football teams are built on paper.
Now, the Browns are 3-8-0. The playoffs aren’t going to happen. A last-place finish in the division is very possible, and at season’s end, many players will find new employment next year. A coach (or three), the GM, and the front office could see new faces next year as well. It always happens when teams have high hopes, and then not just fail, but bomb miserably.
Will this roster play to win in the remaining games? Of course. These are professionals. They have pride in what they do, and most never give up. They also know that men who quit become unemployed men who quit.
The Browns will use lots of players who aren’t starters in the back half of the schedule. It is only right. These guys sweat and work just like the first team guys do, and show up every day with a starting mentality. It only makes sense for the coaching staff to begin inserting athletes to gain valuable live game experience and begin that portion of their development. The coaches also need to know which players to retain for next year’s camp and who to allow to move along, no matter who they are.
Can Browns fans expect to see OG Zak Zinter getting more snaps in Wyatt Teller’s place? Will Easton Mascarenas-Arnold replace guys like Devin Bush at linebacker? More Isaiah...
