All things considered, 2026 has been an incredibly successful season for the Cleveland Browns. The Browns are 3-2, second in the AFC North, and they have a chance to reclaim the division lead on Sunday afternoon if they beat the division-leading Baltimore Ravens.
Cleveland’s offense has been hit-or-miss, but its defense has been solid yet again. Despite trading away two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett during the offseason, the Browns still have plenty of talent on that side of the ball, including last season’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, Carson Schwesinger.
Results and Usage
After allowing 34 points in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland has locked in defensively, allowing fewer than 20 points in three of its last four matchups. It’s still allowed plenty of yards, giving up at least 360 total yards in three of its five games, but it’s done a good job forcing turnovers. The Browns have also been extremely strong in clutch situations, as they have yet to allow a conversion on any of the four fourth downs they have defended and have allowed a score on just six of the 14 opponent trips into the red zone.
Turnovers and sacks both result in fantasy points, and Cleveland has plenty of both. Three different players have at least two sacks, including last season’s fifth overall pick Mason Graham, who has 4.0 to tie for the league lead among defensive tackles. All in all, the Browns have managed the sixth-most sacks as a team. They’re also tied for eighth with four interceptions and have forced six fumbles, with linebacker Quincy Williams (three) leading the league. The Browns rank just 21st by Pro Football Focus’ defensive grades overall, but they’ve been the 10th-best team in coverage.
Future Outlook
Cleveland’s fantasy potential for Sunday’s matchup is dependent on injuries, as several key players on both teams are listed on the injury report. The Browns could be without Graham, who sprained his MCL in the Week 4 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and didn’t play in Week 5. Schwesinger is also listed on the injury report as questionable after suffering an ankle sprain in the Week 5 defeat against the New York Jets, and two key contributors on Cleveland’s offense have injury designations, which could deem that unit less efficient and force the Browns’ defense onto the field more. Given that Schwesinger has been an above-average linebacker and Graham nearly a top-quartile interior defender, Cleveland would miss them sorely.
Baltimore, of course, also has a major injury question mark, as two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson missed their Week 5 date with the Atlanta Falcons with a sprained ankle. He hasn’t yet practiced this week either, rendering him questionable for Sunday’s game. Jackson’s backup, Tyler Huntley, helped lead the Ravens to an overtime win over the Falcons, and he’s generally considered one of the league’s highest-quality backup quarterbacks, but he’s no Jackson. Jackson is arguably both the most efficient passer and most efficient runner in NFL history; Huntley’s career passer rating is 84.2, making him a slightly below-average starting quarterback.
Still, the Ravens’ offensive ceiling is high enough with Huntley that it isn’t worth starting the Browns’ defense. Baltimore put up 30 points on Atlanta, and the Falcons have actually posted the league’s highest defensive grades this season. Cleveland is reliant on sacks and turnovers, but Huntley has not yet made a turnover-worthy play in his one and a half games of action. Huntley and Jackson are both relatively sack-prone, but Jackson invites pressure while Huntley seeks to avoid it. Plus, Huntley under center would probably mean an even heavier dose of Derrick Henry, and the Browns’ tackling issues would be unlikely to improve against arguably the league’s most physically-imposing player.
