Welcome to the third part of a thirty-two-part series: Reading the NFL Offseason Tea Leaves. Fantasy football tasseography is deeply rooted in predicting future fantasy fortunes. Some of the team tea cups we’ll be looking into may be larger than others. The smallest of cups may have the most alluring blends of offensive weaponry, or be set to bloom after a long steep. This series will aid in your approach to Redraft and Dynasty leagues by bringing you up to date on:

• Free Agency
  • Re-signings, additions, who signed elsewhere, and what it means for fantasy.
• NFL Draft
  • What can we decipher about the direction a team is headed in based on their draft selections?
• Coaching Changes
  • Who’s in, who’s out, and how do the coaching philosophies translate to fantasy production?
• Fantasy Fortunes
  • What does this all mean for your fantasy football drafts?

Like tasseography, the arrangement of these sections will vary as we digest each team’s offseasons and see how the offensive pieces settle. Each article will interpret what the NFL has told us about their future plans based on what they’ve done since their 2025 season ended.

Reading the Cleveland Browns’ 2026 Offseason

Coaching Changes

The Cleveland Browns are in the first step of making tea: boiling the water. The new Browns coaching staff has been revamping this offense to their liking all offseason. I did not think I would be interested in the future of the Browns offense after losing Kevin Stefanski to Atlanta, but here we are.

New Head Coach Todd Monken brought former Run Game Coordinator Travis Switzer from the Baltimore Ravens to be his offensive coordinator. Monken will likely be known for his run-heavy offenses in Baltimore, but during his time as an Offensive Coordinator for Tampa Bay, he led the Bucs to two top-five passing attempt seasons. Monken will face an uphill battle as this roster is young and mostly unproven. 

Free Agency Signings

The Browns made it a priority to sign two versatile offensive linemen in Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins. The 26-year-old Johnson signed a three-year $49.5M contract, and the 31-year-old Jenkins signed a two-year $24M contract. These two are capable of playing all five positions on the offensive line and can be moved around to fill holes if injuries strike in the trenches. They will likely be interior lineman to start the year. They also re-signed fellow interior offensive lineman Tevin Jenkins to a 1-year $4M deal.

Draft Day Additions

Cleveland had 10 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and spent eight of them on offensive talent. OT Spencer Fano, WR KC Concepcion, WR Denzel Boston, and OT Austin Barber in the first two days of the draft. On day three, they selected QB Taylen Green and a pair of TEs in Joe Royer and Carsen Ryan. Fano should contribute right away on the o-line, while Barber gives them depth at tackle. 

Rookie WR Additions

Concepcion was one of the most violent runners who beat both man and zone coverage well at the college level. Boston is a smooth route runner at 6’4″ who is capable of winning at all three levels of the field, and he uses proper technique when catching passes. The latter can’t always be said for Concepcion. Concepcion and Boston will compete with veteran Jerry Jeudy for the top two WR spots on the depth chart, and are set up to be the Browns’ long-term WRs.

A New QB & Few TEs

New QB Green has a cannon and an incredible ability to scramble and throw on the run, but he has to learn to throw with touch and struggles with his overall mechanics and accuracy. He’s the sort of player who can single-handedly win or lose you any given game. Green keeps his eyes downfield when he leaves the pocket, which is a promising trait for a guy with 4.36 speed who can outrun most defensive players. Joe Royer and Carsen Ryan will compete for the TE2 role behind Harold Fannin and likely won’t be fantasy relevant, but they are okay pass catchers and, more importantly, willing blockers. 

Who Will Be The Browns’ QB in 2026?

The tannins from the Cleveland QBs make it difficult to project the 2026 fantasy value for this team’s skill players. Deshaun Watson has displayed the highest ceiling of the QBs on the roster, but he’s the type of tea bag the NFL should remove from its pantry. It’s likely one of Watson or Shedeur Sanders starting at QB for the Browns in Week 1, and there is potential for several QB changes over the course of the season. 

Fantasy Fortunes

Concepcion steps into an opportunity to collect 100-plus targets. He is a target for me in all formats, as he will likely fill the short-yardage, volume-based role in Monken’s offense. If we project an improvement to the offensive line with all of their offseason additions, it becomes easier to see a QB2, RB2, WR2, and TE1 in the tea leaves. 

The additional competition for targets may lead to negative regression for Fannin if the offense still can’t sustain drives. If this offense moves the chains, I would expect another TE1 season from Fannin.

The sweetener of Fano, Johnson, and Jenkins should make at least a couple of Browns players palatable for fantasy purposes. Judkins will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the OL upgrades once he’s fully recovered from a grade-one dislocated ankle.

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Cam White is a Senior Analyst & Host at Optimus Fantasy. You can find more of his work on our YouTube channel, and make sure to follow him on Bluesky.