Before every season, sportsbooks in Las Vegas essentially predict the win totals for all 32 teams, encouraging bettors to put their money where their mouth is on who they believe will outperform expectations, as well as predicting who will crash and burn. There is obviously high volatility with this game; you can look back just one season and see many teams who had wildly different seasons from expectations.
In 2024, the Lions had their win total set at 10.5 with the shortest odds (-115) being that they'd finish under that number; they still finished with 15 wins. The Jaguars, on the contrary, had a win total of 8.5 and were favored to surpass that (-125). They instead imploded to the tune of four wins. You can also look to the Commanders, who had a win total of 7.5, were expected to win less than that (-145), but shocked the world en route to the NFC Championship Game and 12 victories.
So, yes - it's volatile and far from perfect, but Vegas always wins. They know their stuff, and they win far more often than not, raking in billions in profit year after year.
For the upcoming 2025 season, the odds and win totals have essentially been cemented as rosters have been all but finalized. This gives all Browns fans the opportunity to see where they stack up - and for those who are locked into the franchise quarterback search - identify who is predicted to be in the hunt along with the Browns.
One of the keys to turning things around for Cleveland is locating a franchise quarterback to lead the charge into the future. While there's still a chance that Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders turns out to be the guy - it seems unlikely at this point in time. There are tangible reasons they were third and fifth-round picks, respectively.
As of this writing, there is a quintet of quarterbacks who are garnering first-round buzz for the 2026 NFL Draft. These include Texas' Arch Manning, Penn State's Drew Allar, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, Clemson's Cade Klubnik, and South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers.
If the Browns hope to select the best prospect of the group when the dust settles on the college campaign, "earning" the top overall pick would be the easiest way to do it. So, who else is in the race to be the league's worst team, courtesy of DraftKings?
Saints headline other teams on watch for top pick in 2026 draft
Based on the odds, Vegas is projecting the Browns to be the worst team in the league, full stop. They are joined by a group of underachievers in that unfortunate category of the NFL's bottom feeders. The New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, and New Orleans Saints round out the group.
Right off the bat, the Titans seem to have a bit of an odd placement here. Yes, the Titans only won three games last year, "earning" the draft's top choice. They used this choice on the consensus top quarterback in the 2024 class, Cam Ward out of Miami. Whether or not Ward takes his lumps as a rookie, it would be extremely unlikely, and unprecedented, for a team to move on from a quarterback drafted that highly after one season. The Titans, on paper, don't appear to be the Browns' biggest threat.
Next, the New York Jets are certainly an, uh, interesting team. While they did win only five games in 2024, the entire organization has been flipped from top to bottom. We're talking cleaning house. The Jets have a new GM (Darren Mougey), a new HC (Aaron Glenn), and a new QB (Justin Fields).
While they're not a powerhouse by any means, the Jets still have a rock-solid defense. On offense, the Ohio State connection between Fields and Garrett Wilson should pay some dividends in the pass game. The addition of stud offensive tackle Armand Membou in the draft should boost their run game, too. The threat level is there with the Jets, but at this time, it would seem to be a moderate threat.
Read More: Myles Garrett can't wait to put newest Steeler in his graveyard
The New Orleans Saints, however, are threat level: midnight. This team has all the makings of a team that will tumble in spectacular fashion.
Nearly $77 million of their salary cap is allocated to players not on the roster? Check. Of the top 5 cap numbers on their roster, 4 of those players will be 30 years old or older come Week 1? Check. They have a rookie head coach (Kellen Moore), and at this time, their projected starter at quarterback is a second-round rookie (Tyler Shough)? Check.
The Saints have seemingly been teetering on the edge of implosion for several years, but this year it might finally happen. They have been the poster team for kicking the can down the road, a team operating like they're contenders, despite the fact that they haven't made the playoffs since Drew Brees' last season in 2020.
If there's any teams standing in the Browns' way of drafting the top signal caller in the 2026 Draft, it's the New Orleans Saints. Add in the fact that Arch Manning's grandfather, Archie Manning, was once a standout quarterback for the Saints - albeit on some woeful teams - it doesn't take a conspiracy theorist to think the Saints might be tanking.
The first hope for Browns fans would be that the season unfolds in a surprising manner, and the Browns end up competitive with one of their rookie quarterbacks showing considerable promise. If the season ends up taking a much more familiar path - heartbreak and futility - looking towards the draft becomes a natural, welcome distraction.
Just be sure to keep an eye on those pesky Saints, as well as whatever other teams end up imploding, potentially foiling the Browns shot at the Draft's best quarterback.