5 Big Questions Surrounding the Cleveland Browns Entering Week 6

The Cleveland Browns enter Week 6 as a 3-2 enigma ahead of a home game against the Baltimore Ravens.

On one hand, 3-2 is a better mark than most would have expected going into the season. On the other hand, they still have a negative point differential and sit at 27th in ESPN's FPI metric .

So while the standings say the Browns are second in the AFC North, there are still a lot of questions out there that will form the narrative of the 2026 season.

Let's take a look at five of the biggest questions that need to be answered over the next several weeks.

Will Deshaun Watson Be the Starter the Whole Season?

Watson was named the starter at the beginning of the season because Todd Monken and his staff believed he gave them the best chance to win . The Browns do have a winning mark, so there may have been some validity to that, but it hasn't always been pretty.

Watson ranks 21st in Total QBR , so he's just slightly below average (which is 50). The Browns are also the most penalized team in the league, so the offensive operation hasn't been super clean.

Watson is in the final year of his contract so this is his last chance to prove he can be the Browns quarterback—or an NFL starter for that matter.

Thus far, he's played just well enough to avoid overt heat. That could change if he puts together a few disappointing games.

The Browns also have Shedeur Sanders on the bench. The second-year pro just hired an agent after being self-represented up to this point.

My prediction is that Watson won't start the whole season. He might not play himself out of the job, but his extensive injury history and the 3.8 sacks he's taking per game raise concerns about his ability to stay healthy.

Right now, the Browns' best "run" play is when Deshaun Watson runs around and scrambles. Outside of that, Cleveland has barely been able to move the ball on the ground.

They rank 29th in rushing EPA per play . Quinshon Judkins is averaging three yards per carry— 0.48 yards fewer than expected per attempt .

The difficulties on the ground are multi-faceted. The offensive line has not opened up a ton of run lanes. Judkins has run right into his blockers in some instances when they have blocked well.

LeCharles Bentley brought up a great point about how the Browns' reliance on running out of the shotgun has hindered their scheme. That stems from Deshaun Watson's preference for being in the gun, though.

Judkins, the line and the scheme itself all share in the blame. That's actually good news, because it means some things are fixable. Rebuilding the offensive line midseason would mean the run game is doomed.

Monken makes enough adjustments within the scheme and the new offensive line jells enough to show improvement. Don't expect miracles, but there's a chance the run game is closer to the middle of the pack by the end of the year.

Can the Offensive Line Turn Things Around?

It's hard to quantify offensive line play, but most metrics that attempt to do so don't look good for Cleveland. False starts and holding penalties have been recurring problems. The Browns also rank 29th in yards before contact in the run game and 27th in pressure rate allowed.

The answer to the first two questions probably lies in the answer to the third. The Browns' offense has a hard time establishing consistency and much of that can be traced to a questionable offensive line.

The reality is that the unit is playing down to its talent. The current starting five is completely different from last season. Spencer Fano and Austin Barber are both rookies. Zion Johnson, Elgton Jenkins and Tytus Howard are all newcomers who haven't played with one another.

The unit should continue to jell this season. Improved communication and familiarity as a unit give a real path to improvement.

There are some things that can be improved. Better communication and experience as a unit will take care of some operational and communication inefficiencies.

But Tytus Howard's pass protection might be an issue that can't be fixed. Fano and Barber are going to have some moments when they look like rookies.

Getting to slightly below average by the end of the year might be the ceiling.

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Can the Defense Continue to Keep Them in Games?

Because the defense has kept them in every game since Week 1's blowout loss to the Jaguars. Mike Rutenberg was an unknown going into the season as the defensive coordinator, but he has them playing well right now.

The only question is whether the unit can really keep showing up like this despite injuries and the attrition of the season.

The primary barrier to the Browns continuing to have success is injuries. The team already has key players in Mason Graham, Maliek Collins, Mike Hall Jr., Grant Delpit and Carson Schwesinger on the injury list.

Some of the players are going to play, but the length of the list is not encouraging given that we are only five weeks into the season. The team doesn't get a bye week until Week 11 this season.

There are also legitimate holes in the current defense, including a defensive line that can give up too much in the run game and inconsistent coverage from the slot and one safety position.

The grind of a late bye week and some better offenses will shift the narrative as the season goes on. The Browns are 15th in defensive EPA , which puts them closer to average than the narrative they've created over the first few weeks.

A potential matchup against Lamar Jackson on Sunday would give us a much better idea of how good the unit really is. For now, they look like a group that will wear down as the season goes.

Buyers or Sellers at the Trade Deadline?

The Browns have been to the playoffs just three times since 1999. Sneaking into the postseason might not be a big deal for other teams, but it's notable in Cleveland.

If the team finds itself in the playoff hunt ahead of the November 10 trade deadline, it would make some sense to get aggressive. At the same time, there's at least one veteran who could be on the move.

The team is already involved in the rumor mill. Jerry Jeudy has been a topic of discussion with reports that the team is looking for a third- or fourth-round pick for the veteran. There's also reporting that the Browns aren't looking to shop him at all.

Jeudy has a tradeable contract and could have a market as a former Pro Bowler.

However, the Browns could also find a veteran on the trade block that could help them break into the playoff race. That would be an opportunity that would be hard to ignore.

They'll be a seller. The Browns' record might have them in the running for a playoff spot, but it won't be enough to convince them to part with draft capital in a trade.

Andrew Berry appears to be on a hot streak with his last two drafts. Getting capital back for Jeudy would give them more opportunities for Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion while also creating more bites at the apple for the general manager.