The Cleveland Browns took quite a while to land on a new head coach this offseason, finally landing on former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken to carry on the torch from Kevin Stefanski. He wasn’t the first choice on most people’s lists, but the excitement is building and the Browns deserve credit for casting a wide net in their search.
You never know who could emerge as a great candidate, since every great coach has to start somewhere. Monken has never been a head coach before, and there’s another member of the Browns family who recently hinted he also wouldn’t rule out being a coach one day.
During a recent episode of The Top Dawgs Show, Hanford Dixon spoke about Browns’ free agent cornerback Martin Emerson, who missed all of the 2025 season with a torn Achilles. Dixon suggested Emerson is just missing a few things that keep him from being great, and that he’d be able to coach him up.
“I guarantee you I could take a guy like Martin Emerson, he’s just missing some technique stuff. I guarantee you I could take him and just have that boy being a beast,” Dixon said.
"I could coach a guy like Martin Emerson, he's just missing some technique and mental stuff." #DawgPound@HanfordDixon29 would love to help MJ get back on track after missing last season.
presented by @FanDuel https://t.co/bygEoJ2Swg pic.twitter.com/O6u7wfkexz
— The Top Dawgs Show (@TopDawgShow) February 21, 2026
Emerson had four interceptions in 2023, but didn’t log any in 2024. His return in 2026 could be a big boost for this defense if the Browns decide to sign him, especially given the questionable depth in the cornerback room at the moment behind Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell.
It’s unlikely that the Browns will even be able to bring Emerson back, considering they are over the salary cap, but Dixon is right in pointing out his enticing traits. Some team is going to get an outstanding buy-low opportunity on him in free agency if the Browns can’t find a way to keep him.
Dixon isn’t a huge fan of new Browns defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg, so perhaps his comments here indicate he is angling to replace him in a few years.
Probably not, but it’s the offseason and it’s always fun to dream.
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