A quick scroll through the Cleveland Browns’ initial 53-man roster shows a clear point of emphasis — and we’re not talking about the wide receivers or offensive linemen.
- Tylan Wallace
- Malachi Corley
- Blake Whiteheart
- Daniel Thomas
- Donovan McMillan
- Winston Reid
All of those players entered head coach Todd Monken’s offseason program on the proverbial roster bubble but wound up solidifying their spots based on one common denominator: versatility.
More specifically, that group will make up the core of Cleveland’s special teams unit entering this week’s regular-season opener at Jacksonville.
No matter how well the Browns’ young skill position players perform in Monken’s scheme, or how the defense transitions into its post-Myles Garrett era, any upside the Browns have in 2026 will be capped if they don’t improve upon last year’s disastrous showing on special teams.
Browns fans just got some surprising, if not promising, news on that front. ESPN’s preseason FPI rankings list Cleveland’s special teams right in the middle of the pack at No. 16 overall.
As we enter Week 1, here’s where the Browns rank in ESPN’s Football Power Index:
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) September 7, 2026
🏈 30th in the NFL (32nd in offense, 17th in defense, 16th in special teams)
🏈 5.4% chance to make the playoffs (fourth-worst odds)
🏈 1% chance to win the AFC North
🏈 11.8% chance to get No. 1…
Cleveland's special teams overhaul could eliminate one of its biggest disadvantages
The Browns were historically bad on special teams in 2025 on their way to ranking dead last in total DVOA. It’s a major reason why the Kevin Stefanski regime had to go.
Their kickoff and punt units were mostly a disaster, coming to a head in Week 10 when the Jets scored two touchdowns on returns in the first quarter — with the Browns fresh off a bye. The Browns ranked 30th in opponent net punt yards per game and 32nd in their own yards per punt attempt, submarining their starting field position averages to the bottom of the league.
That makes it hard to win football games when your offense also struggles to do anything well consistently.
The only silver lining was the emergence of kicker Andre Szmyt, who was perfect on field goals and extra points over Cleveland’s final nine games. Szmyt also ranked just outside the top 10 among all kickers this preseason based on FanSided’s KVA metric.
But the kicker alone won’t save Cleveland’s special teams, as last year showed. The hope is that new additions like Wallace and Thomas will help shift the culture. The potential of explosive first-round rookie KC Concepcion taking over as the top punt returner could lead to massive gains in hidden yardage that don’t show in the main box score.
ESPN’s FPI rankings are merely projections, but seeing the NFL’s worst special teams unit by just about every measure vault back to the middle of the pack overnight is a positive sign for what the Browns are building.
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