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CLEVELAND, Ohio The NFL released its 2026 schedule, and the Browns now know the order of their 17 games this season.
I will have these opponent breakdowns over the next several weeks leading up to the start of the season as we look at the biggest addition, subtraction, best draft pick and what they all mean for when they play the Browns.
Todays focus is on the Browns Week 3 opponent: the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina was the surprise team of the NFC last season, winning the NFC South at 8-9 and giving the Rams quite the challenge in the NFC Wild Card Game.
Are the Panthers ready to take the next step in 2026? Here is a look at Carolinas offseason.
Also, you can check out previous installments of the series below.
Biggest addition: Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips The Panthers didnt rest on their laurels after making the playoffs.
They had an aggressive offseason when it comes to adding to their defense.
Devin Lloyd joined for three years and $45 million to replace Christian Rozeboom.
But they spent even bigger money to bring in Phillips.
The deal for Phillips was four years and $120 million.
Its a high-risk, high-reward deal for Phillips, who has struggled to stay healthy at times in the NFL.
He started 2025 with the Dolphins before being traded to the Eagles, and he finished the season with 5.5 sacks.
But he created plenty of havoc without getting sacks, finishing fifth in quarterback hurries (57) and ninth in pressures (73) according to Pro Football Focus.
Its a crucial add for a Panthers team that had the second-fewest QB pressures in 2025 (93).
Biggest subtraction: RB Rico Dowdle Dowdle spent just one season in Carolina before signing with the Steelers in the offseason.
Despite the presence of Chuba Hubbard, Dowdle took over as Carolinas lead back last season, rushing 236 times for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns.
Dowdle may not be a star, but he added some stability in the backfield after Hubbard took a step back following a season in which he had nearly 1,200 yards and 10 TDs.
The Panthers will need Hubbard to be the impactful player that he was in 2024 to replace the impact of Dowdle.
Best draft pick: OT Monroe Freeling There was a time when Freeling was considered a target for the Browns with the sixth pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
But Freeling fell to the 19th pick and the Panthers happily took him to add to their offensive line.
Freeling is an outstanding athlete at the tackle position, and he has the ideal type of frame for a tackle in the NFL.
But after just one season as a full-time starter, Freeling may need time to develop before contributing at the NFL level.
He was a left tackle at Georgia but could slide over to the right side opposite Ikem Ekwonu.
What it means against the Browns After a feel-good playoff appearance in 2025, the Panthers arent sneaking up on anyone.
The additions of Lloyd and Phillips should help them build off of their division title.
The loss of Dowdle hurts a Panthers offense that ranked 27th in scoring (18.3 points per game).
Bryce Young took a nice step forward in 2025, but hell be in for a tough test against a Browns defense that even without Myles Garrett should still be very good.
The battle between receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who had a great rookie season, and either Denzel Ward or Tyson Campbell should be fun to watch.
On the other side of the ball, the additions of Phillips and Lloyd should make an already solid Panthers defense even better.
Phillips should add juice to Carolinas pass rush, and Lloyd is coming off his first Pro Bowl season.
The Panthers were 15th in the NFL in scoring defense (22.4 ppg) last season but had the eighth-most interceptions (15).
An improved pass rush could help the Panthers force takeaways, so it will be more crucial for the Browns to protect the ball against Carolinas opportunistic defense.