Week 15 was a nightmare for the Kansas City Chiefs. Falling to 6-8, they were eliminated from playoff contention, but even worse, Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL. The star quarterback will now turn his attention to the recovery process, as everyone wonders if he will see the playing field in 2026. Meanwhile, the Chiefs will have to navigate their final three games without Mahomes.
What does any of this have to do with the Cleveland Browns, who are currently having their own nightmare season? Well, the Browns are one of the teams in the mix for the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. A couple of the other teams in the mix will play a Mahomes-less Kansas City team in the coming weeks.
Without the perennial Pro Bowl quarterback on the field, those games have a different outlook, and could ultimately affect where Cleveland lands in the draft order.
The race for the No. 1 pick may have just shifted in Cleveland’s favor
Cleveland, after falling to 3-11, is currently in position to have the No. 4 pick in the draft. The teams ahead of the Browns are the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, and New York Giants, who are all 2-12. In the final three weeks of the season, the Raiders will play New York, and the Chiefs will play both Tennessee and Vegas. Depending on how those games go, Cleveland could end up with the No. 1 pick.
The Chiefs have already struggled this year, but even without Mahomes, it’s no guarantee they will lose to the Titans or the Raiders. Gardner Minshew, who will step in for the final three games in Kansas City, is a solid veteran quarterback. However, the dynamic of those games have changed without Mahomes, and Vegas and Tennessee have a better chance of winning.
This, of course, is all dependent on the Browns losing their final three games to the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Cincinnati Bengals. If things happen to unfold in a way that lands Cleveland the No. 1 pick, or at least in the top two, the franchise will be set up for a massive opportunity, and an even bigger decision.
The Browns will have to decide if they want to select a quarterback in the draft or move forward with Shedeur Sanders. If they want to bet on Sanders, they will be able to net a huge trade package for the No. 1 pick.
If Cleveland instead decides to take a quarterback, it will be high enough to land one of the guys in what’s shaping up to be a two-quarterback first round, without having to trade up.