The Cleveland Browns will enter the 2026 NFL season with a new head coach, their 13th since 1999. This team has had rotten luck finding a long-term solution for this role, but they’re hoping Todd Monken can turn the tide.
Monken wasn’t publicly considered the Browns’ top pick to take over as head coach, but after they made the decision, it’s clear he’s been their top target for weeks. Now that this decision has been made, fans and analysts have given their takes on the situation, mostly giving positive feedback. Analyst Albert Breer talked about this decision via the MMQB show, believing the Browns were sold on Monken largely due to his ability to develop young players.
“Monken, again, with his varied experience and being able to maximize some of the guys he did in Baltimore… that’s another area where I think Monken can be really, really good,” Breer said.
Under Monken’s leadership, the Baltimore Ravens saw several young players on the offensive side develop into great NFL athletes, including WR Zay Flowers and TE Isaiah Likely. The Browns’ roster is chock-full of younger players waiting to take the next step, including Harold Fannin Jr., Shedeur Sanders, and Quinshon Judkins, to name a few.
The Browns’ 2025 NFL Draft class was one of their best in recent history, and if all of the aforementioned players take a few steps forward in 2026, this team could get that much better very quickly. Monken also helped Lamar Jackson win another MVP award, so his experience of developing quarterbacks cannot be understated, either.
With all of this in mind, a lot of people have been excited about the Browns’ outlook for this season and believe that tangible change is coming. If not, and if this team performs similarly to how they have over the past few seasons, Monken won’t be looked upon with such high regard.
It will be very telling what he thinks about Sanders and the Browns’ QB situation when the draft comes around, as the team is armed with two first-round picks, and could use one of them on a QB if Monken sees someone he’s interested in.
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