5 Cleveland Browns Under the Most Pressure Entering the 2026 NFL Season

The NFL is a high-pressure environment. From expiring contracts to fifth-year options to constant coaching turnover, the most important thing for every player is what they've done lately.

Throw a struggling team like the Cleveland Browns into that kind of pressure cooker and the intensity is kicked up a notch.

The 2026 version will be focused on evaluation as Todd Monken and his staff take over the team. While everyone is going to have to prove themselves moving forward, some are under a bigger microscope than others.

Here are the five Browns under the most pressure entering Week 1.

5. Shedeur Sanders

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Some pressure fell off Shedeur Sanders shoulders when the team named Deshaun Watson the starting quarterback. Yet, it still feels like a do-or-die season for the second-year passer.

Watson being named the starter gives Sanders some time to continue his development as the backup. At the same time, it takes away opportunities for him to show that he can be the solution at quarterback in 2027.

If Watson starts all 17 games it's going to be hard to justify passing up on a quarterback prospect in the 2027 class to roll with Sanders in his third season.

Sanders will need to find his way on the field and do more than he did in his rookie season if he wants to be the starter in 2027. Facing that kind of pressure when he isn't even the starter at the beginning of the year is putting plenty on his plate.

4. Teven Jenkins

AP Photo/David Richard

The Browns went full remodel on their offensive line this offseason. They drafted Spencer Fano in the first round to anchor the left side, but they mostly did the rest with short-term free agent deals.

Teven Jenkins is the only projected starting lineman who started for the Browns last season. The team brought Jenkins back on a one-year, $4 million contract this offseason.

He'll start the season as the right guard after starting four of the final five games of the year in 2025. It might be his final chance to prove he can be a long-term solution on the interior of the line.

The Browns used a third-round pick on Austin Barber. The Florida product has experience at tackle, but is listed as the backup guard. Jenkins might have to play at a level that convinces Cleveland to hand him a mutli-year contract if he wants to be on the roster in 2027.

3. Isaiah McGuire

AP Photo/Jeff Lewis

Myles Garrett is out, and Jared Verse is in, but it's Isaiah McGuire who could be feeling the pressure this season.

Verse is a good, young piece to build around. He also knows there are future first-round picks coming to help fill out the Garrett trade. McGuire is being thrust into a role where he has to be more than a rotational depth piece.

McGuire played 41 percent of the snaps last season and registered 29 pressures. Those aren't bad numbers, but there are a lot of one-on-one blocking situations when you have Garrett on one side of the defensive line.

Alex Wright was supposed to be the edge-rusher across from Verse leading the pass rush. He was third on the team with 5.5 sacks. Unfortunately, his ruptured Achilles has thrust McGuire into the spotlight.

McGuire is in he final year of his rookie contract. He's set up to score a major payday if he can become the secondary pass-rusher on the defense. He'll need to take a big leap up from 2.5 sacks last season to make that happen.

2. Jerry Jeudy

AP Photo/Kirk Irwin

Andrew Berry made his thoughts on the Browns receiving weapons pretty clear on draft day.

The offense needed firepower and they spent premium picks on KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston to get it. It's clear the front office is looking to go young to build an enticing core for a quarterback that may or may not be on the roster.

So where does that leave Jerry Jeudy?

Right now, he appears to be on the way out. He has combined for 23 drops in his two seasons with Cleveland. Browns quarterbacks had a passer rating of 43.8 when targeting him last season.

Jeudy's contract made it hard to move on from him this offseason. Next year, he could be released with a post-June 1 cut to generate some savings.

The pressure is on for Jeudy to prove that he can be an asset to the pass game as the Browns try to find an identity under Todd Monken.

1. Deshaun Watson

AP Photo/Kirk Irwin

This is the final year of the Deshaun Watson contract. The albatross that has hung over the Browns head for five years could finally be behind them. There's an $86.2 million cap hit to deal with, but the Browns don't have to have him on the roster.

Watson's time in Cleveland has been tumultuous. The off-field issues, injuries and just flat out poor play have made him one of the worst investments in NFL history.

Yet, he's getting one more crack at getting his career back on track. He was named the starter of Shedeur Sanders which means he has the beginning of the season to prove that he's still a worthy starter in the NFL.

He's going to have to do it with a new head coach, new offensive system, a completely rebuilt offensive line and two rookie receivers who figure to play major roles.

He'll also have a second-year quarterback who went 3-4 as the starter last season.

That's a lot of pressure for a quarterback who has already alienated his team's fanbase with comments before the season even got started.