Cleveland Browns 2026 Midseason Awards and Superlatives

The Cleveland Browns have already matched last year's win total halfway through the season.

The NFL trade deadline came and went, as the 5-4 Browns made it clear that they are comfortable closing out the season with who they have. After all, they've set themselves up to be in the playoff conversation down the stretch after going 5-12 last season.

The team has shown clear progress under Todd Monken. The roster has given us some pleasant surprises and strong development, but it has also produced some less-than-ideal performances.

Let's break it down by handing out some hypothetical hardware for the first nine weeks of the season.

The Main Awards

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

MVP: LB Carson Schwesinger

Simply put, the defense has been the reason the Browns have won five games and Carson Schwesinger is the engine of that defense. He already has 89 total tackles, three sacks and three forced fumbles on the year. It's hard to imagine what the defense would look like without his athleticism and instincts in the middle.

Offensive Player of the Half-Year: WR Denzel Boston

The young weapons are the most exciting part of the offense right now. Boston is the most tantalizing of the bunch. He leads all rookie wide receivers with 507 receiving yards and three touchdowns on the season.

KC Concepcion leads all rookies with 37 receptions, so there's a case to be made for him, but Boston has been the bigger scoring and big-play threat.

Defensive Player of the Half-Year: CB Denzel Ward

Schwesinger edges out Ward for MVP because of how he impacts all facets of the defense, but Ward is having the best defensive season right now.

It's a wonder teams even throw his way, as he has given up just 20 receptions and 163 yards on 47 targets. He's already tied his career high for interceptions in a season with three.

Rookie of the Half-Year: WR Denzel Boston

Again, Boston gets the slight nod here over Concepcion. There's a good case to make that they are the top two receivers in the entire rookie class. They are set up to be a dynamic 1-2 punch for a long time.

Comeback Player of the Half-Year: QB Deshaun Watson

The only answer that makes sense. Watson has returned from his Achilles injury to throw for seven touchdowns to three interceptions and a 5-2 record as the starter. He's led a game-winning drive in all five of the Browns victories this season.

The Made-Up Awards

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Most Improved Player: DL Mason Graham

If Mason Graham had been healthy all season, he'd likely be pushing Schwesinger and Ward for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. He started the year off red hot with four sacks in the first three games before suffering a leg injury in the fourth game.

Still, he's markedly better than he was in his rookie campaign, when he had half a sack all year.

Most Underrated Player: TE Harold Fannin Jr.

It doesn't feel like Fannin is getting his due nationally. He's playing at a Pro Bowl level and has more yards after the catch (272) than any tight end not named Travis Kelce. He's a top-five player at the position, but has at times been overshadowed by the breakout of KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.

Best Backup Award: S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has yet to crack the starting lineup, but he's giving them a third starting-caliber safety. He's only played 41 percent of the defensive snaps, but he finds himself around the ball a lot, with 42 tackles this year (three for loss). He's also surrendering just a 64.6 passer rating when targeted.

Trench Warrior of the Half-Year: DL Mason Graham

The defensive line has been far better than the offensive line. There weren't really any offensive linemen in the running for the award, but the interior defensive line has been one of the best pass-rushing groups of the season.

Graham has been the most productive of the bunch with four sacks, nine tackles for loss and six quarterback hits in just seven games.

The Sad Awards

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Jared Verse

Most Disappointing Player: Edge Jared Verse

Verse was sold as the young defensive end the Browns could build around in the post-Myles Garrett era. Instead, we're still waiting for him to notch his first sack as a Cleveland Brown. He ranks 88th among the 110 edge-rushers that PFF has graded this season.

Verse has been solid against the run at times, but he's not building off the 7.5 sacks he had with the Rams last season.

Least Trustworthy Starter: OT Tytus Howard

Howard was supposed to be the veteran tackle the Browns brought in to bring stability and leadership. Instead, he's the most penalized player in the league this season. He's been spotty in pass protection. His run blockig has been rough all year.

The "What are we Paying for?" Award: WR Jerry Jeudy

There's a really strong case for Deshaun Watson here. That's been true of his entire contract. But at least he has had a direct hand in all five of the team's wins. Jeudy accounts for the third-highest cap hit ($10.4 million) on the team and is currently averaging two catches for 23 yards per game.

Some of those were timely catches in crunch time, but the production isn't even close to the price tag.

Most Likely to Lose his Job by End of Year: S Ronnie Hickman

It feels like Hickman's days of keeping Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at bay are numbered. The safety has a missed tackle rate of 23 percent and a deserved catch rate of 70. Meanwhile, McNeil-Warren keeps showing up in good ways when he's on the field.

The Big-Picture Awards

AP Photo/Gary McCullough

Quincy Williams

Best Offseason Addition (Non-Draft Category): LB Quincy Williams

The additions along the offensive line have produced a mixed bag, but Quincy Williams has shown he's a great running mate for Schwesinger. Williams' aggressive, downhill style gives the Browns one of the best linebacker tandems in the league.

He already has four forced fumbles in addition to 62 total tackles. His veteran leadership and toughness have made him a key cog in the Browns' defense.

Best Position Group: Secondary

Ward isn't just a one-man show in the defensive backfield. Tyson Campbell is a strong CB2 on the opposite side of the field. Grant Delpit and McNeil-Warren have both given up passer ratings lower than 67.0 when targeted. Myles Harden has been up and down this season, but he's also turned in some solid performances.

The Browns are 10th in the league in passer rating allowed. Much of that is due to the work of Ward, Campbell, Delpit, Hickman, Harden and McNeil-Warren.

Most Underrated Position Group: Interior Defensive Linemen

The Browns' interior could probably use a run-stuffer. As a group, they rely on explosiveness and chaos, which has led to them allowing 4.7 yards per carry. It's also led to a lot of pressure and sacks.

Mason Graham, Maliek Collins, Mike Hall Jr. and Adin Huntington have combined for 13 sacks. The edge rotation of Jared Verse, Isaiah McGuire, Sam Williams and Derek Barnett has combined for four. That's a ratio you don't often see.

Top Second-Half Breakout Candidate: S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren

The secondary is the best unit right now, but it has the potential to be even better by the end of the season. McNeil-Warren continues to show that he could start over Hickman and make a strength of the defense even stronger.

More snaps should lead to more production and yet another reason to be excited about the Browns' stacked rookie class.