The Cleveland Browns are not expected to be world-beaters this season. Odds currently have them with an over-under of 6.5 wins in 2026, a projection that places them 25th in a three-way tie with the Falcons and the Raiders. And, honestly? Browns fans deserve better. It's been a long time in the dumps. Far too long.
While the Myles Garrett trade certainly stings — condolences to all — there's a very real scenario where it proves to be the catalyst for a turnaround of epic proportions in Northeast Ohio. The benefits of moving on from the single greatest defender (and possibly player) in franchise history are always going to feel like wishful thinking. There's no reason to let that cloud logic, however.
By accepting their fate as a team not ready to contend in the present, the Browns have done wonders for their future. They've also increased their bites at the draft apple, a significant feat at a time when there is no shortage of teams aching for a franchise quarterback.
The Browns have a golden opportunity after the Myles Garrett trade
In a realistic scenario, there could be as many as eight teams in dire need of a franchise quarterback in 2027. That doesn't even include fringe teams or the yearly wildcard team that decides to move on from a tenured starter. In a crowded race, a sensible strategy to increase your chances of coming out victorious is to load up on horses.
The Browns did precisely that when they agreed to a trade that netted them first-, second-, and third-round picks over the next three years, in addition to budding star EDGE rusher Jared Verse. This haul has a chance to turn the Browns' fortunes around sooner than keeping Myles Garrett would have, and it's precisely what has ESPN's Seth Walder singing Cleveland's praises.
"It has been awfully bleak in Cleveland the past couple of seasons, but the decision to trade away a franchise icon could be what jump-starts a turnaround ... This was an unquestioned home run for Cleveland. Garrett is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and just broke the single season sack record, but he is 30 years old, and the Browns are not close to contention. By the time they get there, Garrett will be well into his decline."
"Verse, who still has two years left on his rookie contract (plus a possible fifth-year option), will cost Cleveland just about $5 million over the next two seasons. He's a great, ascending player who would have surely been worth more than a first-round pick on the trade market, perhaps even approaching two first-rounders. To turn Garrett — whose superstardom was worth less to the woebegone Browns than to any contender — into Verse and picks that can help build the next good Cleveland roster is solid team-building."
While Walder doesn't explicitly address the quarterback dilemma here, rest assured that it has loomed large on the Browns' radar, and specifically general manager Andrew Berry's. In an offseason about hedging bets, Berry wasn't about to go into the season with all his chips on a Shedeur Sanders breakout or Deshaun Watson flipping the space–time continuum on its head.
This move proved that, while that duo will have a chance in 2026, Berry will remain flexible and open to the possibility of drafting a signal-caller to usher in a new era in 2027. If the Browns are not bad enough to "earn" the top draft choice organically, the additional draft ammo they collected in the Garrett trade places them firmly second (behind the truly lowly New York Jets) among QB-needy teams in terms of draft capital.
It's responsible. Browns fans aren't necessarily used to that from this franchise, which should make it a welcome change in Cleveland. While the good guys might be taking their lumps in the interim, the future is bright in Cleveland. All it takes to see it is the right lens.
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