Todd Monken’s hiring did not generate a lot of buzz around Cleveland when it was first announced. Now, with training camp underway and the early returns from the offseason program drawing attention, one insider is offering an explanation of exactly why the franchise brought him in and what he is actually being paid to deliver.
Mary Kay Cabot broke down the reasoning behind the hire, making it clear that this decision was always about improving the offense.
“They hired him for his offensive chops, for his ability to put points on the board, and to field an explosive offense. What I’m looking for from him, and in some respects it’s going to be pulling a rabbit out of a hat, but what I’m looking for from him is to take this very, very young offense and turn it into an explosive, effective, efficient, point-scoring offense. If you can do that, then you can win some games. That’s the charge. That’s why they hired him. That’s why they’re paying him 10 million dollars a year over five years. They’re giving him 50 million dollars to go out there and show them some offense,” Cabot said.
Cleveland is not paying Monken this level of money simply to manage a locker room. He was brought in specifically to solve the offensive inconsistency that has plagued this franchise for years, and the front office views him as the coach capable of finally getting explosive, complementary football out of a very young roster.
He has a real challenge in front of him. Cleveland’s offense is filled with unproven pieces, from a receiver room stocked with rookies and second-year players to a quarterback competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders that remains unsettled heading into camp. Turning that group into a consistently efficient scoring unit will require more than scheme installation. It will require developing chemistry and continuity among players who have not had a lot of time on the field together.
Early word out of the offseason program has been encouraging. It reflects a belief that Monken has already started building the identity ownership hoped for when it hired him. Whether that translates into wins once the games start counting remains the real test, but the expectations are clear. Cleveland paid for an explosive offense, and Monken’s first training camp will begin showing whether he can deliver one.
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