Three things to watch for during Browns' 2026 OTA period
· Yahoo Sports
As the Cleveland Browns slowly begin to prepare for the upcoming NFL season, head coach Todd Monken will get one of his first chances to examine the team’s roster this week.
Throughout the course of the recent NFL Free Agency period and the 2026 NFL Draft, the Browns were able to acquire multiple talented playmakers for Monken’s first year with the organization. And while Cleveland’s roster dramatically improved this offseason, fans are excited to see how the new faces fit into the gameplan this year.
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Here are three things to watch for during the Browns’ upcoming OTA period heading into the 2026 season.
Quarterback battle
The biggest question mark surrounding the Browns heading into this offseason is the quarterback position, as the struggling organization is still searching for its franchise quarterback.
With 2026 sixth-round pick Taylen Green being the lone addition to the quarterback room this offseason, it’s clear that Cleveland will decide between veteran Deshaun Watson and 2025 fifth-round pick Sheduer Sanders for the starting role in Week One. However, according to multiple reports over the course of the past month, Watson already possesses a slight edge over the second-year quarterback due to his extensive history in the league and his playstyle being a perfect fit for Monken’s offense.
If Watson shows signs of his former self during the OTA and training camp period, there’s a good chance that the 30-year-old could overtake Sanders for the starting quarterback job to kick off the 2026 NFL season.
How does the wide receiver room shake out?
For once, Browns fans finally have some optimism around the team’s wide receiver corps heading into the upcoming season.
General manager Andrew Berry did an excellent job in the 2026 NFL Draft of landing two highly-touted wide receivers in Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion and Washington’s Denzel Boston. Now, with two rookies entering the mix for Cleveland next season, this brings up the question of which veteran receivers the organization will keep for the foreseeable future.
One name that will most likely make the cut is Jerry Jeudy, as the 27-year-old pass catcher is under contract through the 2027 season. This leaves Cedric Tillman, Malachi Corley, and Jamari Thrash as potential cut or trade candidates, with Tillman being the most likely to be traded out of the bunch.
What does the offensive line look like?
In addition to landing two prolific receivers in Concepcion and Boston, Berry’s most recent draft class features multiple offensive linemen. This, along with the team’s focus within the trenches in free agency, means that Cleveland’s offensive line will look completely different heading into the 2026 season.
While Utah’s Spencer Fano is projected to be the team’s starting left tackle next season, the rest of the positions amongst the linemen remain up in the air heading into training camp. 2026 third-round pick Austin Barber has a legitimate chance to beat longtime veteran Tytus Howard for the right tackle position, while the team’s fifth-round pick, Parker Brailsford, will compete with Luke Wypler for the starting center role.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Three things to watch for during Browns' 2026 OTA period