The Cleveland Browns’ 2025 season went just about as most people expected with the team sputtering to another last-place finish in the AFC North. Deshaun Watson re-rupturing his Achilles in January created one of the bleakest quarterback situations in the entire league and it ended up defining their season as Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders all took turns struggling to lead the offense as the starter.
Cleveland Browns opponents 2026: Who’s on the schedule, how easy or hard will their schedule be
The Browns missed the playoffs in 2025. We already know their 2026 opponents and we’ll take an early look at the slate.
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But there were positives, namely a disruptive defense led by Pro Bowlers Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward along with breakout rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger. And while QB play specifically held the offense back, they were still able to hit on rookie playmakers like Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr., and Dylan Sampson. Given that they’re still on the hook for Watson’s historically bad contract for at least another year, there’s a strong likelihood that he’ll return to his role as starter in 2026. Whether or not they use their top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on his future replacement will be up for debate over the next few months, but the team should at least be in a position to improve next season.
Cleveland Browns list of opponents
Home opponents
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- Las Vegas Raiders
Road opponents
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Tennessee Titans
- New York Jets
- New York Giants
Cleveland Browns schedule analysis
The Browns will have eight home games and nine road games next season pending the announcement of the matchups for the 2026 international games. The rotation will include matchups against the entire AFC South and NFC South, along with their usual six divisional games within the AFC North. Since they finished fourth in the AFC North, they will be matched up with the last-place finishers of the AFC West (Raiders), AFC East (Jets), and NFC East (Giants) to round out the 17-game schedule.
Cleveland has a pretty manageable schedule next year with just five matchups against 2025 playoff participants. That’s good news for a franchise looking to take a step forward and it helps that their schedule is filled with fellow cellar dwellers like the Raiders, Saints, Titans, Jets, and Giants. Considering both the weakened nature of the AFC North and the fact that they get the perpetually unserious NFC South on the slate, there’s a possibility for the Browns to be one of the most improved teams next season and even challenge for a Wild Card spot.
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