Todd Monken wasn’t exactly the top coaching candidate on any team’s list this offseason despite ten NFL teams being in the market for a new head coach. The Cleveland Browns were the last to make an official hire, and many fans and analysts were disappointed when the team ultimately landed on Monken, who is in his 60s and has never been a head coach before.
In recent months, the skepticism around the Monken hiring has gradually turned to excitement as the vision is starting to become clearer. Early indications are that he has all the chops needed to be a head coach and is going to be firm and demand greatness from this team.
During a recent appearance on the Ryan Ripken Show, Monken spoke about his quarterback competition and touched on how excited he is to be the head coach of this team.
“It’s a great time to be the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. I really believe with the last couple of drafts, we’re a young team, I believe our job is to develop our younger players. Whether it’s Shedeur, or whether it’s Deshaun, or whether it’s Dillon, our quarterback situation, you’ve got to find a way to right that. I do think Deshaun and Shedeur had really good springs,” said Monken.
“I do think Deshaun and Shedeur had really good springs, I really believe it’s no better time to be the head coach of the Cleveland Browns,” – Browns HC Todd Monken on his QB room. pic.twitter.com/4Qqex4zAlW
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 23, 2026
He said the transition for him and the staff has been great and they all can’t wait to get to camp and see where everyone is at so they can take the next steps to help build a consistent winner. He added that 20 years from now, this era might be the beginning of when other teams start to ask themselves why they don’t operate more like the Browns.
That’s the right mentality to have. This team hasn’t really had sustained success at any point in its history and has never been the model that other teams try to emulate. It was refreshing to hear Monken’s take on the Myles Garrett trade and hear how he spun it this way. He is in this for much more than this year or next year. He wants this franchise to experience generational success for the first time.
Monken might take a while to win people over due to his bluntness, especially if the Browns don’t start winning right away, but give it time. He is going to win over this fan base and prove that he was the right guy for the job all along.
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