Following their bye week, the New Orleans Saints will host the Cleveland Browns in Week 9 on November 8, 2026 at 12:00 pm on CBS. The Saints play host to this interconference opponent as they look to build upon their three-game winning streak against Cleveland.
Let's take a deeper look at the Saints' Week 9 opponent, the Cleveland Browns:
2026 NFL WEEK 9: NEW ORLEANS SAINTS vs. CLEVELAND BROWNS
Meet your Saints opponent: Cleveland Browns
Coach: Todd Monken
Quarterback: Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders
2025 record: 5-12, fourth in AFC North
Most recent regular season matchup: Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024 - Saints 35, Browns 14
Browns-Saints series record: Browns lead 13-7
Cleveland Browns 2025 season recap:
The Browns opened the 2025 season with a 2-6 record and headed into their bye week in Week 9. After another 1-4 stretch coming out of the bye, the Browns would be eliminated from postseason contention in Week 14 with a 3-10 record. They'd finish the remainder of the season 2-2, including a pair of wins to end the year at 5-12 and in fourth place in the AFC North.
| 2025 Browns Per Game Stats | League Ranking | |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring Avg. | 16.4 | 31 |
| Opp. Scoring Avg. | 22.3 | 14 |
| Total Off. | 262.1 | 30 |
| Rushing Off. | 97.0 | 27 |
| Passing Off. | 161.1 | 31 |
| Total Def. | 283.6 | 4 |
| Rushing Def. | 116.4 | 16 |
| Passing Def. | 167.2 | 3 |
Deep Dive: Cleveland Browns roster review
1. Jared Verse added in massive offseason trade
The Browns executed one of the biggest trades of the offseason when they traded defensive end Myles Garrett fresh off setting the single-season sack record with 23.0 sacks in exchange for defensive end Jared Verse and draft compensation.
Though he may be the smaller name in the trade, Verse has proved highly effective in his young NFL career with a pair of back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons as well as Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2024. He finished 2025 starting all 17 games for the Los Angeles Rams and had a career high 7.5 sacks also adding 58 tackles (35 solo), three forced fumbles and a pass deflection. His 36 pressures ranked 10th in the NFL according to Pro Football Reference.
"I'm not here to fill (Garrett's) shoes," Verse said. "I brought my own, I'm here to work and I'm here to be the best version of me. And the best version of me is going to be the best defensive player in the league. And the best defensive player in the league is going to play for the best defense in the league."
2. Browns rework offensive line
After a season where the Browns conceded 51 sacks and ranked 30th in offensive yards, Cleveland will be fielding an entirely new starting unit along their offensive line with none of their starters slated to return in 2026. They sought to address the issue in free agency adding a trio of veteran starters in tackle Tytus Howard, guard Zion Johnson and center/guard Elgton Jenkins.
The Browns also added to the group in the 2026 NFL Draft, adding Utah tackle Spencer Fano in the first round (ninth overall), Florida tackle Austin Barber in the third round (86th overall), and Alabama center Parker Brailsford in the fifth round (146th overall).
Browns head coach Todd Monken said the team has four of five starters figured out (Howard, Johnson, Jenkins and Fano), with it still to be determined who the fifth member will be and whether Jenkins will start at guard or center.
3. Starting QB competition
The Browns are currently unsettled at starting quarterback with an ongoing position battle. The two leading candidates are veteran Deshaun Watson returning from an Achilles injury and second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Watson was last in action in 2024 where he started seven games for the Browns, completing 137 of 216 (63.4%) for 1,148 and five touchdowns to three interceptions. The team went 1-6 in his starts before he was taken out of action due to injury. In 2025, Sanders played in eight games (seven starts) for Cleveland and completed 120 of 212 passes (56.6%) for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions, helping Cleveland to a 3-4 record in his starts.
As for when the starter will be named, that will be determined later in the process according to Monken.
"Whoever gives us the best chance to score, and I won't know that till we play," Monken said. "We don't know this now in shorts, and we may not know it until we play in the preseason games. And even then, there's no guarantee of who you're playing against. The matchups are not always equal. You can decide you're playing their ones and they're not. So ultimately, we take all the information in the offseason and then training camp and then the preseason game of practice and then let it rip."
