The 2025 season in Cleveland was, honestly, a fever dream. If you told a Browns fan a year ago that they’d finish 5-12 but somehow feel excited about the future, they’d probably assume you were day-drinking. But here we are in January 2026, and the Cleveland Browns starting roster is currently a fascinating mix of aging legends, expensive question marks, and a rookie class that basically saved the team's social media engagement.
Looking at the depth chart right now is a bit like looking at a construction site. There's a lot of steel in the ground, but some of the foundations are creaky. We’ve got Deshaun Watson looming over the books like a $46 million shadow, while Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel have been duking it out for the "quarterback of the future" title. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s very Cleveland.
The Quarterback Room: A $46 Million Headache
Let's address the elephant in the room immediately. Deshaun Watson spent the entire 2025 season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after that second Achilles surgery. Now, word out of Berea is that Watson will "compete" for a roster spot in 2026.
Compete. That’s a heavy word for a guy with his contract.
Basically, the Browns are stuck between a rock and a very expensive hard place. Andrew Berry hasn't cut him because the dead cap hit is a nightmare, but the team's 2025 season was defined by the rookies. Shedeur Sanders got the start late in the year and, despite the record, showed he’s got that "it" factor. He’s confident—maybe too confident for some—but he moved the ball. Dillon Gabriel is there too, acting as a high-floor insurance policy, while Joe Flacco actually started Week 1 of 2025. It’s a circus.
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Offense: The Old Guard and the New Kids
The offensive line used to be the one thing you didn't have to worry about in Cleveland. That’s changed. Jack Conklin, Wyatt Teller, and Ethan Pocic spent more time in the training room than on the field last year.
- LT: Dawand Jones (When healthy, he’s a mountain, but he finished the year on IR).
- LG: Joel Bitonio (The absolute legend. 34 years old and played nearly every snap).
- C: Luke Wypler (Stepped in when Pocic’s Achilles gave out).
- RG: Zak Zinter / Teven Jenkins (A revolving door of "please don't let the QB get hit").
- RT: Jack Conklin (Struggling to stay on the turf).
Then you look at the skill positions. Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman are your primary wideouts, but the real story is Harold Fannin Jr. The rookie tight end became a favorite target for both Sanders and Gabriel. He’s got soft hands and actually knows how to block, which is a rare find these days.
In the backfield, Quinshon Judkins is the guy. Or he was, until his ankle gave out and landed him on IR. Right now, Dylan Sampson is carrying the load, with Jerome Ford providing that veteran change-of-pace. It’s a decent group, but they lack that Nick Chubb-level "run through a brick wall" consistency.
Defense: Still Myles Garrett's World
If the offense is a construction site, the defense is a fortress with a few cracks in the windows. Everything starts and ends with Myles Garrett. He’s still the most terrifying human being on a football field. But he needs help.
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Alex Wright has finally started to look like the player the Browns hoped he’d be, recording career highs in 2025. On the inside, you’ve got the rookie Mason Graham and Michael Hall Jr. Graham had a bit of a "quiet" first year, but his tape shows he’s eating up double teams, which lets guys like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (when his neck is right) fly to the ball.
The real surprise? Carson Schwesinger. The kid came out of nowhere as a rookie linebacker, led the team in tackles, and is currently a finalist for Rookie of the Year. He’s the signal-caller now. He wears the "green dot." Watching a rookie middle linebacker tell veterans where to stand is always a bit surreal, but he’s earned it.
The Secondary
Denzel Ward is still elite, though his neck injuries are a constant "hold your breath" situation for the fans. Tyson Campbell has been a seamless transition at the other corner spot. The safety duo of Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman is actually one of the more solid parts of the Cleveland Browns starting roster. Hickman, in particular, has developed into a ball-hawk that teams are starting to actively avoid.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think the Browns are "one quarterback away." They aren't. They’re "one healthy season away."
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The talent is there. If you look at the names—Garrett, Ward, Bitonio, Njoku—this is a playoff roster. But the depth was tested so hard in 2025 that the team was basically playing a preseason lineup by December.
Also, the "Shedeur vs. Watson" debate is going to dominate the 2026 offseason. Most national media think it’s a locker room disaster waiting to happen. Honestly? It might be. But the players seem to respect Sanders' toughness. He took a beating behind a patched-together offensive line and never blinked.
The Actionable Forecast
If you’re tracking this team heading into the 2026 draft and free agency, keep your eyes on two things:
- The No. 6 and No. 24 Picks: Thanks to the Jacksonville trade, Cleveland has two first-rounders. They’re almost certainly going to use one on an offensive tackle. They have to. Joel Bitonio can't play forever, and the edges are crumbling.
- The Coaching Search: With Kevin Stefanski out and rumors of John Harbaugh potentially moving across the division (imagine that chaos), the roster's final form depends on the scheme. A defensive-minded coach might lean into the Garrett/Schwesinger core, while an offensive guru will have to decide if they can actually salvage Deshaun Watson.
The roster you see today isn't the one that will take the field in September. Expect a massive purge of veteran contracts and a doubling down on the "Sanders Era" infrastructure. The Browns are currently in that painful middle ground where the old stars are expensive and the new stars are still learning how to win in the NFL.
For fans, the next step is watching how Andrew Berry handles the cap. There is no easy way out of the Watson contract, so they’ll likely continue to build through the draft, hoping that rookies like Mason Graham and Harold Fannin Jr. can bridge the gap. If you're looking for a jersey to buy, Carson Schwesinger is the safest bet. He’s the new heartbeat of that defense.