CLEVELAND, Ohio — I did some checking with sources, and here’s what I was told.
As the Browns look at their roster, they believe it needs a massive overhaul on offense. That was one of the main reasons Todd Monken was hired as coach over former Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
As the Browns examined their offense, they asked, “What are the strengths?”
Not much, is the answer.
They like running back Quinshon Judkins and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Both could become impact players. They hope receiver Jerry Jeudy has a revival with Monken.
After that … well … there are problems.
That’s one of the reasons the Browns aren’t thinking about drafting a QB in the first round. They believe it’s more important to build a foundation for the offense.
Unless guard Joel Bitonio decides against retirement, the entire offensive line will have to be replaced. Massive resources in terms of draft picks and free agent money will go into the line. They should use one of their two first-round picks on a tackle.
Don’t be surprised if they draft a pair of offensive tackles fairly high. Or perhaps a center and a tackle. They have four draft picks in the top 70:
No. 6
No. 24
No. 39
No. 70
They also have six more picks between No. 107 and No. 248.
But the Browns could (and probably should) use two of those top four picks on the offensive line. They need everything: Guards, tackles and a center. Even if Bitonio does play, it probably will be only for one more year.
And yes, they are looking to add at least one receiver.
Todd Monken and Shedeur Sanders meet for the first time. Cleveland BrownsAbout Browns QBs
As the Browns had meetings with Monken, the subject of QB did come up. But a lot of time has been spent on the offense as a whole, not just filling the hole at quarterback.
Right now, there is no designated starter. Monken was sincere when he said no one has the job. Monken told Shedeur Sanders how he wanted the Ravens to draft him. But that doesn’t mean Sanders is their guy.
Sanders was represented by Deion Sanders, his father and coach. Deion told the Ravens and a few other teams not to draft his son. He didn’t want Shedeur to sit behind Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. At that point, Deion thought his son was a first-round pick. Instead, he fell to the Browns in the fifth round.
Dillon Gabriel is on the roster. But I sense the Browns view him mostly as a backup.
Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reported Monken is “intrigued” with Deshaun Watson. That fits what I heard.
Watson is going to be on the roster in 2026. The Browns want a veteran QB. Monken is insisting everyone gets a fresh start with him, so he’ll look at Watson. That said, keep in mind Watson is coming off two Achilles surgeries, a major shoulder operation on his throwing arm and he also had ACL knee surgery in 2017.
It’s one thing to look good throwing the ball in practice. It’s another to thrive in a game where people are trying to tackle you.
The party line is Watson was a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback. That’s true. But the last time he had a good year was 2020. That’s five years ago. A lot has happened in Watson’s life since then.
I don’t buy the argument that the offense of coach Kevin Stefanski was the main reason Watson failed. The injuries were a factor. He also was under a lot of stress given all the circumstances of him coming to Cleveland.
I find it revealing that the Browns and others who discuss Watson rarely take this into consideration: He held out for the entire 2021 season. He had an 11-game suspension to start the 2022 season. It was exactly 700 days between regular-season games for Watson. He’s never been close to the same player as he was in Houston.
The Browns plan to look at Watson in 2026 as a QB candidate. John Kuntz, cleveland.comWhat the numbers say
The fact is, Watson ranked among the NFL’s worst starting QBs in his three seasons (2022-24) on the field with the Browns.
ESPN uses a ranking called QBR, which many analysts like. Among the 33 starting QBs in 2024, Watson ranked 33rd. In the previous two seasons it was 24th and 27th.
He was sacked 70 times in 19 games for Cleveland. He threw 19 TD passes compared to 12 interceptions.
When Watson was with Houston (2017-20), he completed 67% of his passes. That was the highest percentage in NFL history for any QB throwing at least 1,500 passes. We’ve never seen that QB in Cleveland.
With the Browns, it’s 61%. Many of them are short passes. He’s never been anything remotely close to what the Browns believed they were acquiring. In the meantime, he cost them six draft choices (three first-rounders) along with being a salary cap shark, chewing it up.
If the Browns cut him before June 1, it counts $131 million on the salary cap. That won’t happen. After June 1, it can count $80 million on the 2026 cap and $50 million in 2027. They can restructure the deal again, but it’s a mess.
The Browns should consider trading for Mac Jones. APLooking for a veteran
I understand why they want to look at him again. He has to be on the roster. They also want to add a veteran QB. I suffer from Watson Exhaustion, but that’s just me. Others may have another opinion.
Bring in another veteran? I hear the name of free agent Malik Willis. You have to remember the Browns have Watson on their salary cap.
ESPN’s Ben Solak estimates a deal of $26 million annually for Willis. It’s hard to imagine the Browns going in that direction.
My favorite is Mac Jones, the backup QB in San Francisco. Jones had a 5-3 record as a backup for Brock Purdy. He completed 69% of his passes, good for 13 TDs and six interceptions. The 49ers say they want to keep him. He makes $2.8 million on the cap in 2026. I’d offer a third-round pick for him. Much cheaper than breaking the salary cap for Willis.
As of now, it looks like Jim Schwartz will sit out this season. John Kuntz, cleveland.comAbout Monken & Schwartz
After working my sources, it seems Schwartz was unlikely to be named the Browns head coach. It wasn’t personal. It was the state of the offense. While they like Schwartz as a leader and consider him one of the NFL’s best defensive coordinators, that didn’t fit what the Browns were seeking.
Schwartz had plans for the offense, but it’s not his area of expertise.
Monken has been considered a superb offensive coordinator for years. What appealed to the Browns is Monken is not married to a certain system, as was the case with Stefanski.
Monken won with an athletic QB in Baltimore’s Jackson. He squeezed good seasons out of QBs ranging from Nick Mullens to Jameis Winston to Stetson Bennett at Georgia. All played different styles.
Monken was not going to be Cleveland’s offensive coordinator. He either was going to be named the head coach, or he would follow John Harbaugh to the New York Giants. He was Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator for three years in Baltimore.
In the end, Schwartz could not see himself returning to Cleveland unless he was the head coach in 2026. Schwartz is under contract in 2026 to Cleveland, and the team has an option on him for 2027.
I hear his salary is in the $5 million range, among the highest of any NFL defensive coordinators. He has officially resigned. As of now, the Browns don’t plan to release him from the contract. We’ll see how this turns out. But right now, it appears Schwartz will sit out the season and not be paid.
The Baltimore connection
What also helped Monken secure the job was his ability to bring in some quality assistants. Veteran offensive line coach George Warhop is coming to Cleveland. He was with the Ravens. He was with the Browns from 2009-13, originally hired by coach Eric Mangini. This is a strong hire.
Meanwhile, Harbaugh hired Mike Bloomgren, the Browns offensive line coach in 2025. I’ll trade Bloomgren for Warhop every time.
Also coming from Baltimore are Travis Switzer (offensive coordinator) and Danny Breyer (passing game coordinator). Monken is keeping running backs coach Duce Staley, who is respected by the Browns’ young backs. Being able to bring in some of the talent from the Baltimore coaching staff was another selling point Monken used to secure the job.
John Harbaugh will be paid about $20 million annually by the Giants. APWhat they make
I hear that Monken’s contract is about $50 million over five years. The average NFL head coach is making about $10 million annually. The top coaches such as Andy Reid (Kansas City) and John Harbaugh (New York) are about $20 million a year.
I mentioned Schwartz was in the $5 million range per season. Some offensive coordinators are close to $6 million annually.
That’s why I shrug when some fans email to say, “The coach is in it for the money. He doesn’t care if he gets fired, he just wants to be paid.”
Yes, he wants to be paid. But these guys are already mega-millionaires by the time they become coordinators.
When Monken left the Browns in 2019 and was hired to be Georgia’s offensive coordinator in 2020, he was paid $2 million. At the time, that was the highest salary for an assistant college football coach. I heard he was close to $5 million with the Ravens as their offensive coordinator.
Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken gives remarks during his introductory press conference at Cross Country Mortgage campus in Berea.John Kuntz, cleveland.comRanking coaches just hired? Really?
Hey, Terry: I find that the recurring negative national narrative on all things Browns is tiresome and I think that some of the local coverage feeds into that negativity. I read a USA Today account where the author was ranking the ten coaching hires and listed the Browns as 10th. Time will tell how successful Todd Monken is, but to reflexively list all of the other hires (Minter, Hafley, LaFleur, Kubiak, and McCarthy, in particular) as “better” isn’t based on anything other than Cleveland animus.
– Steve Gross.
Hey, Steve: The Browns have the NFL’s worst record since 1999. That’s a fact. Just as they haven’t had back-to-back winning seasons since the late 1980s with Bernie Kosar. As I recently told a Browns official when talking about the perception of the franchise, “No matter what you do, you are guilty until proven otherwise … and that comes with being respectable for a few years.”
As for ranking coaching hires, that’s just dumb. The Athletic talked to coaches/GMs to rank the new hires. Here is the order.
Hint: One guess who came in last.
John Harbaugh, Giants.Kevin Stefanski, Atlanta.Jesse Minter, Baltimore.Mike McCarthy, Pittsburgh.Jeff Hafley, Miami.(tie) Klint Kubiak, Las Vegas and Robert Saleh, Tennessee.Joe Brady, Buffalo.(tie) Mike LaFleur, Arizona and Monken, Cleveland.
The only guys who have any record as a head coach are Harbaugh, Stefanski, McCarthy and Saleh. Only Harbaugh and McCarthy have winning records. The other guys? Who knows?
Interesting that Monken and LaFleur tied for last. Why? Because Arizona and Cleveland are considered two of the worst NFL franchises.