I’m Most Concerned About This One Thing With the Browns Through Five Weeks

The Cleveland Browns still have work to do.

After beginning the 2026 NFL regular season with a strong 3-1 record, the Browns returned right back down to reality.

On Sunday, Oct. 11, the Browns fell to the New York Jets on the road from MetLife Stadium by a final score of 17-12. While they entered the game as underdogs, that public perception became apparent as the offense struggled to get anything going.

"It comes down to making the other team play their best. And I don’t think we did that today," head coach Todd Monken said postgame.

The weather conditions in New Jersey certainly played a role in making such issues obvious, but there is a major concern following the organization.

And unfortunately, it hasn't gone away week after week.

The Offensive Line Is Allowing Too Much Pressure

For the first time since becoming a member of the Cleveland Browns, starting quarterback Deshaun Watson looks like a mobile quarterback. He is routinely moving around in the pocket, scrambling to pick up extra yards and connecting with receivers downfield on the run.

He finished Sunday's loss to the Jets with 15 completions for 155 yards and one touchdown.

However, he was sacked a whopping eight times and wasn't able to convert on third down 12 total times. With Watson being consistently pressured by the Jets' defense, they made the Browns' offensive line look abysmal.

“It’s coaching. It’s playing, it’s getting the ball out of our hands. It’s protection," Monken said when asked about the high number of sacks. "It’s all the above … We all gotta take a big freaking bite of this.”

Now, on the season, Watson has been sacked 19 times.

In the Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road, he was sacked five times, before the offensive line somewhat turned things around as they held the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers to just two sacks each.

Either way, with a less mobile quarterback, the Browns' line would likely be giving up even more sacks than the statistics show.

There are players who are obviously looking the part, most notably rookies Austin Barber and Spener Fano, elevating a position group that went through extensive changes in the offseason, but there are still plenty of improvements needed to be made.

And it isn't just Watson who is struggling due to the offensive line's inability to provide ample room to move.

The Browns' go-to rusher out of the backfield, Quinshon Judkins, has had an eye-poppingly slow start to the season.

He carried the ball 14 times on Sunday, rushing for just 44 yards, an average of 3.1 yards per carry. On the season, his total numbers see him with just 221 yards on 73 carries, with him finding the endzone just once. He is barely averaging north of 3.0 yards per carry.

If the Browns truly want to be a multi-dimensional offense, that ability to establish both the rushing and passing game comes from the line's protection.

“You’re going to put yourself in that position when you can't run the football," Monken continued when asked about the high sack count. "We weren't able to run the football today. We were behind the sticks the whole day and we made a few plays, some (to) get back on track and some third downs that gave us a chance...

"But we were never comfortable calling it or playing. And that's not a recipe for success.”

Moving forward, it simply needs to be better. Not just for Watson, but for Judkins and the rest of the running back room, too.

The Browns return to the field on Sunday, Oct. 18, for a Week 6 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens at 1:00 p.m. EST.

And with hopes of maintaining the top spot in the AFC North, they'll have to make that one big change.