Cleveland Browns

With $99.0M in dead money (third-most in the league) burying this year's cap and only $15.6M in room, Cleveland is financially handcuffed in the short term but a near-complete financial reset awaits next season with a projected $160.6M in cap space.

37 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Five starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

The roster's top strength is a deep, high-quality defensive secondary and linebacker group anchored by Ward, Owusu-Koramoah, and Delpit, while the glaring weak spot is quarterback, where no option on the depth chart inspires confidence.

• FBhigh

  Michael Burton is 34 years old and entering the late stage of his career, making it urgent to find a capable fullback who can carry the role forward.

• QBhigh

  Deshaun Watson starts but grades identically to backup Shedeur Sanders at a low overall, leaving the position a clear top-priority need with no proven answer on the roster.

• LShigh
• LEDGElow

  Alex Wright starts ahead of Isaiah McGuire and Benton Whitley, but none of the three inspire confidence, creating a low-severity gap on the left side of the defensive front.

• Klow

  Andre Szmyt holds the starting kicker role but grades modestly, making a low-severity upgrade worth monitoring when roster flexibility allows.

• Balanced OffenseoffensivePassable

  The combination of Quinshon Judkins in the backfield, Harold Fannin Jr. at tight end, and Jerry Jeudy at receiver gives a balanced offensive scheme enough weapons to function, even if the quarterback situation limits the ceiling.

• [EA] 3-4 StormdefensiveGood

  Mason Graham, Maliek Collins, and Mike Hall Jr. up front paired with a three-linebacker corps featuring Schwesinger, Owusu-Koramoah, and Quincy Williams makes the 3-4 Storm a natural defensive home for this roster.

• 61Tre AveryCBTre Avery sits fourth on the cornerback depth chart behind Ward, Campbell, and Mathis, and releasing him costs nothing in dead money while freeing $1.2M.Frees $1.2M · $0 dead
• 61Sam KamaraDTSam Kamara grades well below the starting defensive tackles and contributes little behind Graham, Collins, and Hall Jr., so cutting him frees $1.2M with no dead money penalty.Frees $1.2M · $0 dead
• 74Cedric TillmanWRCedric Tillman is the fourth receiver on the depth chart behind Jeudy, Concepcion Jr., and Boston, and releasing him frees $3.6M at a cost of only $320K in dead money.Frees $3.6M · $320.0K dead
• 60Benton WhitleyLEDGEBenton Whitley grades as the lowest-rated edge rusher on the roster and sits third on the LEDGE depth chart, so releasing him frees $1.1M with zero dead money.Frees $1.1M · $0 dead
• 64D'Angelo RossCBD'Angelo Ross is the third cornerback on the depth chart behind Ward and Campbell, grades modestly, and his release costs nothing in dead money while freeing $1.2M.Frees $1.2M · $0 dead

The Browns carry genuine defensive building blocks in Denzel Ward, Jared Verse, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and young Superstar Mason Graham, but the offense is in a troubling state with no dependable quarterback and a committed cap situation that limits immediate maneuvering. Elgton Jenkins anchors the offensive line for now, though he will need a succession plan in the coming seasons. Tytus Howard at right tackle faces a similar horizon. The franchise's real hope lives in the young core: Carson Schwesinger, Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr., and Mason Graham are all 22 or 23 years old with Star or Superstar traits, meaning the next two to three seasons are a critical development window. Cleveland carries $99.0M in dead money, the third-highest in the league, which severely constrains roster-building this year, but next year's projected cap room of $160.6M offers a dramatic reset. The path forward demands resolving the quarterback question, trimming dead-weight contracts, and trusting the young core to carry the franchise into contention.

The Browns were founded in 1944 (organized in 1945) by taxicab magnate Arthur B. "Mickey" McBride as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), beginning play in 1946 in Cleveland. Named after their first coach, the innovative Paul Brown, they were instantly dominant: quarterback Otto Graham, fullback Marion Motley, and tackle-kicker Lou Groza led Cleveland to all four AAFC championships (1946-1949), including a perfect 15-0 season in 1948. Paul Brown pioneered modern coaching methods and, by signing Motley and Bill Willis in 1946, helped reintegrate professional football a year before Jackie Robinson debuted in baseball. When the AAFC folded, the Browns joined the NFL in 1950 and immediately won the NFL Championship, reaching the title game in each of their first six NFL seasons (1950-1955) and winning in 1950, 1954, and 1955. In 1957 the Browns drafted Jim Brown, who led the NFL in rushing in eight of nine seasons and retired as the all-time rushing leader. Owner Art Modell bought the team in 1961 and controversially fired Paul Brown before 1963; under Blanton Collier, the Browns won their fourth and most recent NFL championship in 1964. After Jim Brown's 1966 retirement, the team declined but revived with the "Kardiac Kids" of 1979-80 behind MVP quarterback Brian Sipe and again with Bernie Kosar leading three AFC Championship Game appearances in the late 1980s. In 1995 Modell announced relocation to Baltimore; the settlement created the Baltimore Ravens as a new franchise in 1996 while the Browns' name, colors, and history stayed in Cleveland for a reactivated team that returned in 1999. Since then the franchise has been defined by instability and losing: just three playoff appearances (2002, 2020, 2023), one playoff win, a franchise-scarring 0-16 season in 2017, and a revolving door at quarterback.