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The NFL released the 2026 schedule on Thursday, and the discourse around the league began as the Cleveland Browns look to bounce back.
Some of the main takeaways from schedule release day are international games, where the bye weeks are, any road stretches, any home stretches, and when do Divisional games hit? Those are just some of the main points, and for the Browns, each of those takeaways came out fairly positively.
Cleveland is one of the lucky few teams that avoided an international trip. The Browns have been overseas a fair amount over the past 10 years, but in 2026, they finally get a reprieve. It was rumored that they would be playing the Saints in Paris, but they dodged that trip and are staying stateside for the entire season.
Beyond staying stateside, the Browns are pretty much playing their entire season in the Eastern time zone. The two longest trips of the year happen in the first two weeks, and then they stay very close to home the rest of the year. Logistics are a positive for the Browns, so are the opponents.
Cleveland has one of the easiest schedules in the NFL in terms of both 2025 record and 2026 win projections. They have some favorable opponents to go along with some easy logistics.
Lastly, they have a stretch in the later part of the year after their week 11 bye that they get to stay home for three straight winnable games coming off the break. It is a stretch that could propel them to a potential postseason run.
For all intents and purposes, Cleveland's schedule is laid out very favorably, and it may even equate to some wins, at least Emory Hunt thinks so.
CBS Sports' NFL Analyst was on CBS Sports HQ on Thursday and proclaimed that he believes that the Browns could win 10 games this year. His take was met with immediate pushback from the rest of his panel, but then he got to defend his idea.
He cited that because of the Browns' offseason, he totally believes that they can go on a run. He said that revamping the offensive line, mostly in Free Agency but also in the draft, sets them up to improve upon their run game, which was decent for them prior to Quinshon Judkins' leg injury.
On defense, Cleveland may not be as dominant as in years past, but they still have stars on that side of the ball.
In terms of the actual schedule, Hunt believes they can take advantage of the early part of the schedule, when there are at least a couple of winnable games. Hunt thinks that the Browns will get off to a 3-1 start, and if they do that, 10 wins is absolutely on the table for them.
There is some truth in what Hunt said here, but also some recency bias, which is something that Browns fans need to be cautious with. Yes, the Browns have had a very good offseason. They signed decent players, and they drafted guys who are projected to be good. That, however, doesn't mean that they will be good. They need to show it on the field.
Cleveland's schedule is favorable in pockets, but for 10 wins to happen, they do need to get off to a good start. I would classify a 3-1 start as a "great" start that would set them up very nicely for a bunch of wins in 2026.
The win-loss game is always a fun one, and the schedule release is always a tease. We are still four months out before the Browns tee it up against the Jaguars, so until then, Browns fans everywhere can dream about a 10-7 playoff team in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: NFL Analyst extremely bullish on Browns after 2026 schedule release
Continue reading...
Some of the main takeaways from schedule release day are international games, where the bye weeks are, any road stretches, any home stretches, and when do Divisional games hit? Those are just some of the main points, and for the Browns, each of those takeaways came out fairly positively.
Cleveland is one of the lucky few teams that avoided an international trip. The Browns have been overseas a fair amount over the past 10 years, but in 2026, they finally get a reprieve. It was rumored that they would be playing the Saints in Paris, but they dodged that trip and are staying stateside for the entire season.
Beyond staying stateside, the Browns are pretty much playing their entire season in the Eastern time zone. The two longest trips of the year happen in the first two weeks, and then they stay very close to home the rest of the year. Logistics are a positive for the Browns, so are the opponents.
Cleveland has one of the easiest schedules in the NFL in terms of both 2025 record and 2026 win projections. They have some favorable opponents to go along with some easy logistics.
Lastly, they have a stretch in the later part of the year after their week 11 bye that they get to stay home for three straight winnable games coming off the break. It is a stretch that could propel them to a potential postseason run.
For all intents and purposes, Cleveland's schedule is laid out very favorably, and it may even equate to some wins, at least Emory Hunt thinks so.
CBS Sports' NFL Analyst was on CBS Sports HQ on Thursday and proclaimed that he believes that the Browns could win 10 games this year. His take was met with immediate pushback from the rest of his panel, but then he got to defend his idea.
He cited that because of the Browns' offseason, he totally believes that they can go on a run. He said that revamping the offensive line, mostly in Free Agency but also in the draft, sets them up to improve upon their run game, which was decent for them prior to Quinshon Judkins' leg injury.
On defense, Cleveland may not be as dominant as in years past, but they still have stars on that side of the ball.
In terms of the actual schedule, Hunt believes they can take advantage of the early part of the schedule, when there are at least a couple of winnable games. Hunt thinks that the Browns will get off to a 3-1 start, and if they do that, 10 wins is absolutely on the table for them.
There is some truth in what Hunt said here, but also some recency bias, which is something that Browns fans need to be cautious with. Yes, the Browns have had a very good offseason. They signed decent players, and they drafted guys who are projected to be good. That, however, doesn't mean that they will be good. They need to show it on the field.
Cleveland's schedule is favorable in pockets, but for 10 wins to happen, they do need to get off to a good start. I would classify a 3-1 start as a "great" start that would set them up very nicely for a bunch of wins in 2026.
The win-loss game is always a fun one, and the schedule release is always a tease. We are still four months out before the Browns tee it up against the Jaguars, so until then, Browns fans everywhere can dream about a 10-7 playoff team in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: NFL Analyst extremely bullish on Browns after 2026 schedule release
Continue reading...
