The Cleveland Browns were incredibly active during the 2026 NFL offseason. From firing their head coach to hiring a new one, to putting together a solid free agency class, to a great draft class, before finishing it off with the biggest trade in NFL history.
You might not agree with every move that was made, but they definitely didn’t just sit on their hands and run the same thing back next year, which is an incredible positive for Cleveland, but was it this positive?
The NFL on CBS’s Josh Edwards wrote that the Browns had the best offseason in the NFL ahead of the Raiders, Jets, and Rams, who all made several acquisitions.
It does feel like the Browns are in this conversation on a yearly basis because they have objectively had good offseasons over the past three to five years. It obviously hasn’t resulted in wins because of the quarterback situation.
Last year, the Browns had one of the best draft classes in the NFL, where they got a couple of cornerstone pieces on both sides of the football. This year’s offseason roster building on paper was one of the best that they could have realistically done.
Cleveland’s draft from an analytical perspective was as good as it gets. They addressed several needs with top-level selections without having to sacrifice too much capital to pay for it. The draft board fell the proper way for Cleveland, and they capitalized.
Then, to cap the offseason, they made the biggest trade in NFL history when they dealt Myles Garrett to the Rams, but the return they got was probably fair. The addition of Jared Verse, along with three future draft picks, was likely a fair compensation for Garrett, who is going to skip into the Hall of Fame one day.
All of those moves, topped with the addition of Todd Monken as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, put a wrap on the roster portion of the offseason. It is likely that Cleveland may make a couple more moves, including a bid for Brendan Sorsby, that could continue to bolster the feeling about the offseason.
None of it means anything at all until the ball is kicked off in September, but the Browns have put themselves in a good position to be successful in 2026. Will it pan out? Time will tell that answer in just a few short months.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns offseason among the tops in the entire NFL, but does it matter?
Reporting by Anthony Moeglin, Browns Wire / Browns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Anthony Moeglin, Browns Wire | USA TODAY Network
