Todd Monken faced a significant uphill climb when he was hired as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns in January. Not only was the team coming off eight wins combined over the past two seasons, but there was also already talk that they should give up on the 2026 campaign in order to set themselves up for the 2027 NFL Draft.
Yet Monken, as one of the oldest first-time head coaches in NFL history, was undeterred. He challenged the negative narrative surrounding the franchise and went about imposing his demanding personality on the team.
Coming out of an encouraging set of minicamps and OTAs, insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic explained how the Browns’ culture is shifting under Monken, saying there is a “different energy” around the team.
“I do think there’s a different energy. I think Todd Monken is trying to set a different culture. I would say, more than anything, the structure of practice and the way he went about his first set of practices was just different. Especially after the Myles Garrett trade, if you are a young player and you’re still here, you’ve seen some other stuff, you should feel and want to get that different energy out there. This team has a chance, not only with its new leader in terms of title and who’s out front, but new leaders in the locker room. These things are being established,” Jackson said.
“I do think there’s a different energy. I think Todd Monken is trying to set a different culture.” 👀🏈 – @AkronJackson
Zac Jackson explains what stands out to him most about new #Browns head coach Todd Monken compared to former coach Kevin Stefanski 🔥https://t.co/BGO7bGwuxN pic.twitter.com/BDuxCLqyrs
— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) June 22, 2026
Monken served notice to his players that he meant business, taking them out of drills when they made a mistake. He and his staff also focused on teaching immediately, either as the players walked back to the huddle or addressing issues as soon as the workout was over.
This was even more noticeable when compared to the much different approach taken by former head coach Kevin Stefanski during his six seasons. With 16 young players arriving over the past two NFL Drafts, it allowed Monken to put a foundation and expectation in place as they grow together.
However, it may have done little to diminish talk that Monken may not be the Browns’ head coach for very long. If they do play poorly enough to select a marquee quarterback prospect in the 2027 NFL Draft, the organization may decide to have someone else develop him, especially after showing interest in much younger offensive-minded coaches during the hiring cycle that led to Monken.
Trading away Myles Garrett may also benefit Monken in the long run, as he will not have to deal with having a different set of rules for a franchise icon and can make sure the other players are fully on board with his message.
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