Three issues the Browns still have amid 3-1 start

The Cleveland Browns are the early shock of the NFL season as they sit atop the AFC North with a bewildering record of 3-1. After the first week of action, when the Jacksonville Jaguars pummeled the Browns 34-10, many thought this team would be vying for the first overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. 

It was expected to be a long season for the Browns and their fan base; the team is now on a three-game winning streak with the New York Jets next up on the schedule. A four-game winning streak is now very possible, which no one can confidently say was likely to happen after the first week of football. 

Still, is this team for real? The Browns haven't beaten a team with a winning record, but can they take this early stretch of success and turn it into a trip to the postseason? It's possible, but there are a few weak spots the Browns must rectify if they hope to have continued success against the better teams on their schedule. 

Here are three problems the Browns still have to resolve.

Offensive line issues

Rookie Spencer Fano has been a good selection, and while he's struggled at times, he's easily become the most consistent offensive lineman for the Browns so far in 2026. While he's miles away from a Joe Thomas-like season, he's still a significant upgrade over last year's crop of starting tackles. The rest of the offensive line, however, can be reduced to one word: inconsistent.  

The offensive line has struggled to produce any real sort of push up front to effectively run the ball, leaving lead running back Quinshon Judkins unable to make much of an impact (177 yards, one TD in four games). While that's bad enough, the offensive line is besieged by penalties. Heading out of the Panthers win, the Browns had 12 penalties all told, with the offensive line committing more than their fair share. This week against the Steelers, the Browns still had three false starts, two of which were against Zion Johnson and Luke Wypler, respectively. If they're going to find continued success, then the team has to be better at getting push off the line of scrimmage to run the ball better, and they have to stop making so many mental mistakes. 

Getting the receivers more involved

Deshaun Watson's reputation may never recover, be it on or off the field. Still, whether you like him or not, you can't argue that he isn't playing his best football since arriving in Cleveland. He's far from a long-term option, and most of his games see him taking what he can get and not pushing the ball downfield like he used to. This has led to the receivers having a limited impact on the team's offense. Without more consistent plays from the wide receivers, the Browns offense will be severely limited as defenses adapt to what they're doing.

The only wide receiver who's averaging over 10.0 yards per reception on the team on more than 10 targets so far this season is Denzel Boston. He's averaging 21.8 yards per reception, which is good enough for third among all receivers with at least 10 targets so far. He's trailing Zay Flowers (23.4) and Romeo Doubs (24.2). Unless other receivers can start to stretch the field, it'll be easy to target who the Browns rely on the most and in which situations, like pushing the ball deep to Boston.

With Jerry Jeudy being a former 1,000-yard receiver for Cleveland and KC Concepcion a first-round pick from this draft, you would like to see more from both players down the road. 

More consistent pressure from Jared Verse

Everyone should have known that Jared Verse wasn't going to impact the game like Myles Garrett could. Garrett was a perennial All-Pro, while Verse went to two Pro Bowls, and considering the state of such an honor, that's not saying much anymore. Still, Verse was an impactful player across the board in Los Angeles, regardless of whether it was a pass or run play. 

While this season he's still posting solid PFF grades against the run with a 66.9, his pass-rushing game has fallen off. Last season, his pass-rushing grade was 82.2, and this year it's 59.2. A dramatic drop-off. He's yet to register a sack in four games. He totaled 12 sacks through two seasons with the Rams, and the Browns surely must have hoped he'd have at least one by this point. Especially since Mason Graham, a defensive tackle, is tied for third in the league with four. Verse doesn't need to produce 20 sacks like Garrett to have a bigger impact on the game, but he can't keep going with none either.