Todd Monken held his introductory press conference as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, and as one would expect, it was filled with rave reviews from the men who hired him. Owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager Andrew Berry had nothing but good things to say about Monken and how he deserved his new job.
No matter how warranted it may be, the organization has to speak that way about the man they chose to lead their franchise. Perhaps more valuable are comments from former Browns players who know first-hand what Monken is like as a coach.
Ricky Seals-Jones played his only season for Cleveland in 2019. It was also Monken’s only season as the Browns’ offensive coordinator.
Now, Monken is getting love from the former Browns receiver, who said that season was “one of his best years playing.”
“I loved him. He helped me a lot. He’s a very smart guy, a very player-friendly guy. He’s going to get the best out of you. My time with Todd was one of my best years playing,” Seals-Jones said.
"I loved him. He helped me a lot, he's a very smart guy, very player-friendly. He's going to get the best out of you." #DawgPound@RickySealsJones speaks fondly of his time in Cleveland with Todd Monken as OC.
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— BIGPLAY Cleveland Show (@BIGPLAYCLEshow) February 3, 2026
The campaign was nothing special statistically for Seals-Jones, who in 14 games made just 14 receptions for 229 yards, though his four touchdown catches were a career-high for his five NFL seasons spanning four teams. The Browns finished 6-10 in Freddie Kitchens’ only year as head coach.
Monken was asked about that season multiple times when meeting the media and acknowledged it was difficult. The fact that Seals-Jones spoke highly of it can be seen as a positive commentary on Monken’s relationship with his players.
That will be a critical area as he takes over as head coach of the Browns, with some hard decisions to make and maybe some fences to mend. Monken was non-committal about two of the biggest issues he’ll be facing, namely who his starting quarterback will be, and who will serve as his defensive coordinator.
He deflected questions about Shedeur Sanders’ status, and what’s going on with assistant coach Jim Schwartz, which is the more pressing matter at the moment. Even Haslam pushed that issue to another day.
Once it is settled, Monken can more easily move on to establishing relationships with his players, like the one he had with Seals-Jones.
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