CHICAGO ― The preseason is officially here for the Cleveland Browns. The mysteries it may help solve remain unknown.
What's known is Deshaun Watson will start at quarterback for the Browns as they open the preseason at the Chicago Bears. From there, the exactly length of time he'll play is a mystery, even though coach Todd Monken said it would be the first half.
Shedeur Sanders will come in to replace Watson in this game. That's tentatively expected to be the third quarter, but one must wait and see.
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And how does Monken handle his first preseason game as an NFL head coach? He's never had those duties before.
All of this and more coming to you from the Windy City at 1 p.m. ET. Follow along here for updates throughout the game.
When do the Cleveland Browns play today?
Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
Who is announcing the Bears vs. Browns game?
- Play-by-play: Chris Rose
- Analysts: Joe Thomas
- Sideline: Aditi Kinkhabwala
What TV channel is Browns vs. Bears on: How to watch the Cleveland-Chicago game on TV, streaming
- TV channel: WEWS-TV (Channel 5) and NFL Network
- Stream: Cleveland Browns app (in-market only) and NFL+
- Announcers: Chris Rose (play-by-play), Joe Thomas (analyst), Aditit Kinkhabwala (sideline reporter)
How to listen to the Cleveland Browns vs. Chicago Bears game on the radio, stream
- The Cleveland Browns Radio Network will carry the game, with Andrew Siciliano (play-by-play), Nathan Zegura (analyst) and Je'Rod Cherry (sideline reporter) on the call. Among the affiliates in the Akron-Canton area are WAKR-AM 1590, WONE-FM 97.5, WHBC-AM 1480, WQKT-FM 104.5, WKRK-FM 92.3, WKNR-AM 850 and WNCX-FM 98.5.
- The Cleveland Browns Radio Network's call can also be streamed at Cleveland Browns.com, as well as the Browns mobile app. It's also available on Sirius XM radio, with channel 381 carrying the Browns feed.
- The Browns also have a Spanish-language broadcast, with Rafael “Rafa” Hernández-Brito (play-by-play) and Octavio Sequera (analyst) on the call. Games will be streamed on La Mega Cleveland, as well as heard on WNZN-FM 89.1 in Lorain and WVKO-FM 103.1 in Columbus.
How to buy Bears vs. Browns tickets
Tickets for Saturday's game can be purchased on StubHub from $48 including fees.
Browns vs. Bears weather
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1 p.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. High near 84. South wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Browns vs. Bears betting odds
- Provided by BetMGM.com; access USA TODAY Sports Scores ad Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7 p.m. ET Friday.
- Moneyline (ML): Browns -180 (bet $180 to win $100) | Bears +150 (bet $100 to win $150)
- Against the spread: Browns -3.5 (+100) | Bears +3.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 40.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Chicago Bears in all-time preseason series vs. Cleveland Browns
This will be the 36th time the Browns and Bears have met in the preseason. Cleveland leads the series 20-14, including 8-7 in games played in Chicago. They've also played games in Akron, South Bend and Canton, the latter in the Hall of Fame Game.
Chicago Bears in all-time regular-season series vs. Cleveland Browns
The Browns have played the Bears 19 times during the regular season in their history, and the eight times since the rebirth of the Cleveland franchise in 1999. Here's a look at the regular-season series between the Browns and Bears.
- Series record (regular season and playoffs): Browns lead 11-8
- Series record (regular season): Browns lead 11-8
- Playoff record: N/A
- Series in Cleveland (regular season and playoffs): Browns lead 9-2
- Series record in Cleveland (regular season): Browns lead 9-2
- Series record in Cleveland (playoffs): N/A
- Series record in Chicago: Bears lead 6-2
- Series record in Chicago (regular season): Bears lead 6-2
- Series record in Chicago (playoffs): N/A
- Last meeting: Bears won 31-3 in Chicago on Dec. 14, 2026
- Series streak: Bears won the last meeting
Cleveland Browns preseason schedule 2026
- Saturday, Aug. 15: at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m., Channel 5/NFL Network
- Saturday, Aug. 22: vs. Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m., Channel 5/NFL Network
- Thursday, Aug. 27: vs. New England Patriots, 8 p.m., Channel 5/NFL Network
Cleveland Browns 2026 regular season schedule
- Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 13, at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 20, at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 27, vs. Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m., Fox
- Week 4: Thursday, Oct. 1, vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:20 p.m., Amazon Prime
- Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 11, at New York Jets, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 18, vs. Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m., Fox
- Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 25, at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 8: Sunday, Nov. 1, at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 8, at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 15, vs. Houston Texans, 1 p.m., Fox
- Week 11: BYE WEEK
- Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 29, vs. Las Vegas Raiders, 1 p.m., Fox
- Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 6, vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 13, vs. Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 20, at New York Giants, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 27, at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m., CBS
- Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 3, vs. Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m., Fox
- Week 18: Date TBD, at Cincinnati Bengals, Time TBD, Channel TBD
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns vs. Bears live updates as Cleveland opens 2026 preseason in Chicago