The ultimate goal in the NFL is winning Super Bowls. This concept is so foreign to Browns fans (and many of the league's other less fortunate franchises) that simply making the postseason would lead to jubilant gallivanting through downtown Cleveland. The unfortunate reality is that the Browns may not be very close to contending in the near future — that is, if you agree with FanSided's latest ranking.
Nick Villano — in a piece ranking how close each non-playoff team is to contention — placed the Browns 16th, otherwise known as third-furthest from contention. The only teams below the Browns are the New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders (remember that thing I said about less fortunate franchises?)
At first glance, it's hard to argue with the rationale.
"The Cleveland Browns' trade for Deshaun Watson ruined everything. ... [They] sent a bounty to the Houston Texans for Watson, then gave him a fully guaranteed contract. His cap number in 2026 is $80 million, which is insane. ... They still have Myles Garrett, who just broke the sack record... and he’s playing next to last year’s top-five pick, Mason Graham. Quinshon Judkins was a great pickup at running back, but outside of that, there’s not a lot to build around here. ... The quarterback position is almost a bigger problem than it is a solution. They took Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the draft last season. They got a chance to see them both start for a few games, and neither did enough to truly win the job for 2026."
Why the Cleveland Browns’ bleak outlook isn’t the full story
The critique is certainly fair, and the results speak for themselves. The Browns were very far from being a competitive, top-tier team in 2025. The reason for optimism? Things change quickly in the NFL.
Let's take a look at this year's playoff field, shall we? Yes, a lot of the usual suspects are/were involved (Bills, Steelers, Texans, Eagles, 49ers, Rams), but how about the top seeds in each conference? The Broncos haven't won a playoff game since their 2015 Super Bowl victory with Peyton Manning at the helm. The Seahawks haven't won a playoff game in five years. Both of these teams sit in pole position with home-field advantage as they make their playoff debuts this weekend.
What about those Jacksonville Jaguars? Many Browns fans were all too excited to acquire the Jags' first-round pick in their draft-day trade down last April. With a modest 5-4 start, there was still hope for an unraveling down the stretch. Instead, they ripped off eight straight wins en route to a division championship.
There are two franchises, however, whose turnarounds provide the blueprint Browns fans are clamoring for. The Chicago Bears and New England Patriots — who were 5-12 and 4-13, respectively, in 2024 — have proven, once again, how significant coaching is at this level.
The Bears went out and hired offensive whiz Ben Johnson, while the Patriots brought home franchise legend Mike Vrabel to captain the ship that had fallen far off course. These two teams won a combined 25 games in the regular season, and not to be outdone, both secured victories in the first round of the playoffs. That is just how quickly a team can go from the top of the draft order to contention.
If the Browns wish to join this exclusive club, they must nail their head coach hire, first and foremost. Then, they need to find themselves a quarterback. The unfortunate reality is that this year's draft class is light in terms of quarterback prospects, and it got lighter with Dante Moore's announcement that he is returning to Oregon for another season.
Nonetheless, the Browns' 2025 draft class provided a much-needed infusion of youthful talent to a moribund roster. While Mason Graham and Quinshon Judkins garnered mention, Carson Schwesinger and Harold Fannin Jr. also appear to be core building blocks for the future. Beyond them, there are still plenty of impactful players on the roster.
The future may appear bleak at the moment, but in the NFL, anything can happen. The Browns have a bevy of draft picks and a head coach opening. The winds of change are blowing in Cleveland; here's to hoping that the Browns end up the shocking team of 2026.