Browns 2016 Schedule: Home and Away Opponents Locked In

The 2015 season is almost over for the Cleveland Browns, but as we say in Cleveland, "There's always next year."

Fortunately, fans can begin to look ahead to 2016. The Browns' opponents for next season are now locked in, based on the NFL's formula for scheduling.

The specifics of the schedule, such as the date and time of games and the order of opponents, will be announced in the offseason (likely in April), but the team's home and away games are set.

In 2016, the Browns will play AFC East and NFC East, along the last place teams from the AFC South and AFC West, according to the 2015 NFL Fact & Record Book (page 15). Since 2002, the NFL has used a rotating schedule to ensure each team regularly plays every other team in the league.

So, here is what the 2016 schedule will look like:

Home:

Steelers, Ravens, Bengals, Patriots, Jets, Cowboys, Giants, Chargers

Away:

Steelers, Ravens, Bengals, Bills, Dolphins, Eagles, Redskins, Titans

The Browns will play a significantly easier schedule in 2016, playing the weak NFC East and the last place teams from the AFC South (the Titans) and the AFC West (the Chargers). The Browns beat the Titans and narrowly lost to the Chargers this season.

Based on my calculations (unofficial), the Browns' 2016 strength of schedule (SOS) is .472, a much lower mark than the team's current SOS of .536.

The specific details will emerge later in the offseason, but the early results look good for the Browns.