Todd Monken took the Cleveland Browns’ head coach role after the franchise fired Kevin Stefanski following a 5-12 season. During the introductory conference, the 60-year-old was asked if Shedeur Sanders would enter the offseason as QB1.
“Well, I think like any position on the team, that’s still to be determined,” Todd Monken said. “Am I excited about Shedeur? Am I excited about all the quarterbacks in the room? Am I excited to coach this football team? Absolutely. I can’t wait for them to get back for us to get started.”
Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken (Credits: Cleveland Browns’ X Handle)
Monken said he’s less interested in previous evaluations and more focused on establishing his own standards. His previous team, the Baltimore Ravens, was strongly considering drafting Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft. The quarterback requested not to be drafted by the Ravens or Eagles, eventually landing in Cleveland at pick 144.
“Obviously, we had an appreciation, like many teams, for Shedeur’s abilities and what we believed he could develop into,” Monken said. “But I wouldn’t want to delve deeply into another team’s evaluation process.”
As the Ravens’ offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, Todd Monken helped Lamar Jackson secure the 2023 NFL MVP award and a first-team All-Pro selection in 2024.
Todd Monken’s Desirable Qualities in a Quarterback
The Browns currently have three quarterbacks under contract: Sanders (3-4 record in seven starts), Dillon Gabriel (1-5 starter record, 59.5% completion), and Deshaun Watson, who missed the entire 2025 season with an Achilles tear. Watson carries an $80.7 million salary cap hit in 2026, but the team likely cannot afford to release him. Todd Monken revealed what he wants in a quarterback.
“I’m just gonna start with personality traits,” Monken said. “Who’s going to lead this team? Who has the it factor? Who has those characteristics that the team wants to follow and believes in them because the ball’s in their hands every down? This game’s going to come down to two-minute situations, four-minute situations where you’ve got to able to execute at a high level.”
Shedeur Sanders and Todd Monken ((Credits: Cleveland Browns’ X Handle)
The Browns hold the sixth overall pick (plus a second first-rounder via Jacksonville) and will explore all quarterback options during free agency and the draft.
Cleveland Browns’ 2025-26 Season
The Cleveland Browns finished the 2025 regular season with a 5-12 record. The Browns compiled 279 points for (31st in NFL) and allowed 379 points (4th-worst defense in league). Their -100 point differential ranked 28th overall. They finished last in the AFC North behind Pittsburgh (10-7), Baltimore (8-9), and Cincinnati (6-11), their worst divisional placement in years.
At home, the Browns went 3-6. Away, they managed just 2-6. Their best divisional performance came in Week 18 when they defeated Cincinnati 31-17 after being eliminated from playoff contention for several weeks. The Browns were officially eliminated from playoff contention December 7 after falling to 3-10.
Cleveland ranked 31st in scoring (16.4 PPG), 30th in total yardage (4,456 yards), and 26th in rushing yards (1,649 yards). The passing game ranked 15th in yards (3,152) but 31st in efficiency, averaging just 5.6 yards per attempt. They surrendered 51 sacks (6th-worst) and committed 108 penalties for 840 yards.
The Browns set a franchise record by scoring 17 or fewer points in 11 straight games, surpassing the previous mark of 10 games set in 1975. They became only the third team since 2000 to accomplish this undesirable milestone.
Joe Flacco threw 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions before his mid-season departure. Gabriel managed just 1,264 passing yards across six games with 7 TDs and 12 INTs. Sanders finished with 1,400 yards, 7 TDs and 10 INTs across seven starts, completing 56.6% of his passes.
