FanDuel and DraftKings predict a 5.5 win total for the Cleveland Browns this year. It’s a big letdown for fans, who have heard good things about the quarterback competition and the moves the team made this offseason. However, there are important areas that still present a question mark, which is giving the Browns such a poor outlook.

According to Cleveland.com’s Dan Labbe, it begins with quarterback play.

“I don’t think this is like a two-win football team,” he said on Orange and Brown Talk. “Part of that is because we watched this team last year, and I think they were more of a mess last year, and they won five games. I just have too many questions about a couple of key things, and the first thing is the quarterback. I just don’t know what they’re going to get out of the quarterback position this year.”

Even though it looks like Cleveland will begin Week 1 with Watson, fans know better than to place all their trust in the veteran. Since 2022, he has never been able to play a full season for the Browns. His debut year saw him serve a suspension tied to sexual assault allegations. Watson then missed time in the 2023 season due to a shoulder injury, in 2024 because of a torn Achilles tendon, and the entirety of 2025 after tearing it again.

Even when healthy, Watson hasn’t given the Browns much to feel good about. He’s 9-10 as Cleveland’s starter, and while the arm talent and athleticism show up in flashes, durability and consistency just haven’t followed him around.

Year 2 QB Shedeur Sanders is the next man in line, having somehow carried the Browns to a 5-12 season last year. But it is clear that Sanders will not be an entirely safe option either. He had a tough debut season with only seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions, with a completion rate of 56.6%. Footwork and ball release were big issues that needed work this offseason.

Labbe doesn’t think the offense will be that bad because there are upgrades on the offensive line. Wide receivers should be making an improvement, too, allowing quarterbacks to be in a better position to score. However, there is an even bigger doubt on defense.

“What is this defense going to look like without Myles Garrett?” Labbe added. “Did we overrate Myles’ presence or are we underrating Myles’ presence a little bit? Like, how is this going to look like with Jared Verse as your number one edge rusher?”

Garrett was the one thing about the team that Browns fans could take pride in. By trading him away, Cleveland not only gave up a veteran, but one of the best in the league. Verse established himself by winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024with the Los Angeles Rams. But it is clear that he is miles away from bringing the threat that Garrett did on the Browns’ defensive line.

“If they’re going to win, yes, obviously it’s going to be because maybe their quarterback play is better and they score some more points, but it’s still going to be on the back of defense,” Labbe said. “So I can’t say they’re going to go eight and nine, basically is what I’m saying. … I’m probably leaning like a six, not like four, but I’m not ready to say that they can win more than seven games.”

Until there is more clarity on how the team is coming along on these fronts, it will be tough for anyone to raise their hopes about Cleveland registering a winning season this year.