The Cleveland Browns are the perfect example of how, even in the NFL, individual accolades can be severely misleading.

Case in point: the Browns are currently in the midst of a quarterback battle for the starting job between two Pro Bowl passers. Nonetheless, it’s quite possible no team is in worse shape at the most important position in all of sports than Cleveland.

At least, that’s what a recent story published by CBS Sports is pitching, naming the Browns as the team with the worst quarterback situation in all of the NFL. According to this piece, Cleveland is worse off than the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons at this point in time. No wonder these five teams, among others, are being heavily projected to be interested in next year’s draft class. 

Thoughts? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/Sd9xhUB6Q3

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) July 15, 2026

To be fair, there are more than enough arguments to consider the Browns as the worst quarterback situation in the NFL. 

The presumptive favorite is a soon-to-be 31-year old passer who’s coming off two torn Achilles’, hasn’t played since midseason 2024, and hasn’t played actual good football since 2020. There’s no denying that the only reason Deshaun Watson — who holds a record of 9-10 over four years in Cleveland — is still on the team, is a dead cap number that makes him virtually untradable and uncuttable. 

Then there’s Shedeur Sanders, who ended up starting the second half of last season, completing a measly 56.6 percent of his throws for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His record as a starting quarterback stands at 3-4.

The only reason he made the Pro Bowl as an alternate, is that a slew of AFC passers said no to the season-ending event. Even Joe Flacco, who ironically began his season as Cleveland’s starter before being sent to the bench and eventually traded along with his 1-3 record, got his first Pro Bowl last year, too.

The third option is last years’ third-rounder Dillon Gabriel, who also played very poorly when given a chance in 2025. He ended up completing just 59.5 percent of his throws, for a paltry 937 yards with seven touchdowns, two picks, and a 1-5 record.

Finally, there’s Taylen Green, a sixth-round choice out of Arkansas who’s a supremely gifted athlete, but has a ton of work before him in order to be considered a pro-level passer.

Given those facts, it’s easy to see why the Browns would be ranked so low at the quarterback position, entering the 2026 season.

Todd Monken’s first big challenge… and last?

The Browns selected Monken as their new head coach for one main reason: his body of work with quarterbacks.

Yet, he’s probably never had to face such a challenging situation before. He already went off against the team’s passers for throwing picks during 7-on-7 drills, describing it as “embarrassing” over the summer, and he also acknowledged that walking into training camp without an established starter was less than ideal.

At 60-years old, Monken is already one of the oldest head coaches in the league for what will be his very first experience in the top job.

Under current ownership, there’s been two instances of head coaches being one and done: Rob Chudzinski (2013) and Freddie Kitchens (2019). As is the case with Monken, Chudzinski and Kitchens had previously served as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator — Kinchens in an interim role — and in all three cases, it was their first experience as NFL head coaches. 

After being fired, Chudzinski and Kitchens have never gotten another shot at a permanent head coaching job. 

That’s what might be at stake here for Monken.

Unlucky for him, the raw materials he has to work with in Cleveland are well below the league average.

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