After surprisingly drafting two White defensive players early in the 2025 draft, last year’s Browns squad rather shockingly had 7 White starters and 12 overall on the roster. That turned out to be a one-year outlier, as the NFL’s most dysfunctional as well as its most ultra-black team in recent years is back to normal with just 3 White starters and 9 overall.
And 3 White starters is being generous as Michael Burton is listed as the starting fullback but best I can research the Browns didn’t use the fullback a single time in 2024 and 2025. Burton has always been primarily a WSTD, with just 79 yards rushing and 196 receiving yards to show for ten years in the NFL. Burton comes over from Denver, making Cleveland his seventh NFL team.
The only two legitimate White starters are DT Mason Graham, taken in the first round in ’25; and Carson Schwesinger, the middle linebacker who was the first pick of the second round last year.
Schwesinger was voted by AP as the rookie defensive player of the year, and Graham also had a solid first season. Otherwise the Browns would have an all-black starting lineup, as Burton is not really a starter.
Cleveland had several quality White starters on the offensive line for several years, the only White starters for the most part, but all of them have departed and the Browns have an all-sumo line starting 2026. The quarterbacks of course are all black, and though the Browns have two backup White tight ends, both – Blake Whitehurst and Ryan Carsen – figure to play minor roles.
Zak Zinter is a backup left guard, Luke Wypler is a backup center, and Austin Barber is a backup right guard.
Andre Szmyt is the place kicker. The entire practice squad is black, and TE Joe Royer is on IR with a non-football injury. And that folks, is your Cleveland Browns, 2026 edition, back in line with the 2024 Browns (4 White starters, 7 total), and 2023 (3 White starters 7 total), the two blackest teams in NFL history.
LG: Zak Zinter
C: Luke Wypler
RG: Austin Barber
TE: Blake Whitehurst, Ryan Carsen
“FB”: Michael Burton
RT: Mason Graham
MLB: Carson Schwesinger
PK: Andre Szmyt
Practice Squad: Zero Whites out of 16
IR: TE Joe Royer, so one White out of 27 players on IR and the practice squad
Number of White Starters: 2, technically 3 counting the FB who likely won’t play
Number of Whites on the 53 man roster: 9
Grade: F-
And here’s the theme song for the 2026 Cleveland Browns:
And 3 White starters is being generous as Michael Burton is listed as the starting fullback but best I can research the Browns didn’t use the fullback a single time in 2024 and 2025. Burton has always been primarily a WSTD, with just 79 yards rushing and 196 receiving yards to show for ten years in the NFL. Burton comes over from Denver, making Cleveland his seventh NFL team.
The only two legitimate White starters are DT Mason Graham, taken in the first round in ’25; and Carson Schwesinger, the middle linebacker who was the first pick of the second round last year.
Schwesinger was voted by AP as the rookie defensive player of the year, and Graham also had a solid first season. Otherwise the Browns would have an all-black starting lineup, as Burton is not really a starter.
Cleveland had several quality White starters on the offensive line for several years, the only White starters for the most part, but all of them have departed and the Browns have an all-sumo line starting 2026. The quarterbacks of course are all black, and though the Browns have two backup White tight ends, both – Blake Whitehurst and Ryan Carsen – figure to play minor roles.
Zak Zinter is a backup left guard, Luke Wypler is a backup center, and Austin Barber is a backup right guard.
Andre Szmyt is the place kicker. The entire practice squad is black, and TE Joe Royer is on IR with a non-football injury. And that folks, is your Cleveland Browns, 2026 edition, back in line with the 2024 Browns (4 White starters, 7 total), and 2023 (3 White starters 7 total), the two blackest teams in NFL history.
LG: Zak Zinter
C: Luke Wypler
RG: Austin Barber
TE: Blake Whitehurst, Ryan Carsen
“FB”: Michael Burton
RT: Mason Graham
MLB: Carson Schwesinger
PK: Andre Szmyt
Practice Squad: Zero Whites out of 16
IR: TE Joe Royer, so one White out of 27 players on IR and the practice squad
Number of White Starters: 2, technically 3 counting the FB who likely won’t play
Number of Whites on the 53 man roster: 9
Grade: F-
And here’s the theme song for the 2026 Cleveland Browns:
