Cleveland Browns fans seemed to be equal parts excited and nervous for the hire of Todd Monken. Jim Schwartz was expected to be promoted from his role as DC, so it came as a bit of a shock when Monken was announced as the new head coach.
He comes highly regarded from the Baltimore Ravens, a team that the Browns have plenty of familiarity with, given that they’re in the same division. While Monken hasn’t made his on-field debut for Cleveland, he has started interacting with some of his new players, including QB Shedeur Sanders.
Monken has made it abundantly clear that Sanders is not guaranteed to be the Week 1 starter in 2026 andthat he’s willing to look at all options to see what’s best for this team. That hasn’t stopped Sanders from buddying up with his new coach, even buying him a porcelain horse for his birthday, which Monken shared in a recent social media post.
Browns Head Coach Todd Monken First Post on Twitter since 2022 is a Picture of him and Shedeur Sanders 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/bMcM1X5XId
— We Coming 🦬 (@SkoBuffsGoBuffs) March 3, 2026
Sanders’ reasoning for buying the horse was unclear, other than that he reportedly enjoyed the piece so much that he bought one for himself and one for his coach. If nothing else, this horse is a good talking piece and story for Monken, regardless of what Sanders’ role with the Browns looks like moving forward.
He bought what? pic.twitter.com/SK701Z9T9m
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) February 26, 2026
Having good camaraderie and a relationship with coaches is important, and at least in the case of Sanders, he seems to be having plenty of good fun with the team’s newest head coach.
Monken has his work cut out for him in many respects, and figuring out the team’s quarterback for 2026 and beyond could be a chore by itself. For a team like the Browns that has struggled for years, QB is a position they have to get right, and Monken is going to do whatever is possible to put this organization in a place to succeed.
No amount of horse head gifts could change the fact that this team needs to win, and win soon.
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