As for Cleveland’s offense, the production on that side of the ball has recently increased.
The Browns finished 31st in scoring in 2025, which was actually an improvement from being dead last in points the previous season.
Despite starting two different quarterbacks who made the Pro Bowl — Joe Flacco and Shedeur Sanders — the football’s most important position is very much still a problem in Cleveland. Flacco made four starts and went 1-3 before the Browns traded him to the Cincinnati Bengals. Dillon Gabriel went 1-5 in his six starts before giving way to fellow rookie Sanders, who went 3-4. None of them completed over 60% of their passes or threw more than seven touchdowns.
Although the offense ran higher under Sanders than Gabriel, he put the ball at risk much more and threw 10 interceptions on Gabriel. Sanders finished the season as the starter, but now the new head coach is evaluating the situation.
“Well, I think like any position on the team, it’s still to be determined,” Monken said when asked if Sanders was the QB1 heading into the offseason. “Am I excited for Shedeur? Am I excited for all the quarterbacks in the room? Am I excited to coach this football team? Absolutely. I can’t wait for them to get back so we can get started.”
Despite a double-dip at QB in last year’s draft, plus Deshaun Watson still being under contract with a huge amount of dead money if he gets cut overseas, the Browns would look at every avenue to add another signal-caller to the mix.
Even Sanders, spoke on Tuesday up & Adams, noted that his role is expected to remain undecided.
Monken, of course, is coming off three years as Ravens OC working with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. Whether it’s by developing one of the young guns or landing an arm elsewhere, drafting a quarterback even close to the same zip code as Jackson could transform the Browns under Monken — especially on defense. For Monken, it starts with identifying a leader who simply has “it.”
“I’m just going to start with personality traits,” Monken said of what he wants in a QB. “Who’s going to lead this team? Who has that element? Who has those characteristics that the team wants to follow and believe in because the ball is in their hands on every snap? This game is going to come down to two-minute situations, four-minute situations where you have to be able to execute at a high level.”
Just as Schwartz is a thing for another day and Sanders’ spot on the depth chart remains TBD, everything is still out in front of the Browns and Monken, a first-time NFL coach who turns 60 in two days.
There’s a lot to figure out for a franchise that has made the playoffs just three times this century, but Monken has conviction about where the Browns are headed.
“Dee and Jimmy, they cut a check with my name on it,” he said. “You know what they expect? A ridiculous football team, that’s what they expect. You know what they want? They want to be a winning franchise that our fan base and our region are proud of. That’s all they’ve been about, how you build an attractive franchise that consistently competes for championships. You know what, every single day is proving that.”