Todd Monken didn’t waste any time setting a tone. Since training camp opened at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, the Browns’ first-year head coach has been loud, direct, and impossible to ignore — a sharp contrast to the buttoned-up approach of his predecessor.
Monken, 60, took over in Cleveland after the Browns fired Kevin Stefanski following a 5-12 season. He’s no stranger to the building. He spent 2019 as the team’s offensive coordinator under Freddie Kitchens before leaving for Georgia, where he helped the Bulldogs win back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022. He then spent three seasons as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator, where he helped Lamar Jackson capture his second MVP award in 2023.
This is his first NFL head-coaching job, and according to BrownsZone, he’s treated it that way from day one — running long, demanding practices and working to build a culture of accountability with a young roster.
Confirming, Correcting, Connecting
Monken has been unusually candid with reporters this camp. Speaking on Cleveland Browns Daily, he broke down his coaching philosophy in blunt terms, saying his staff is always doing one of three things with players — confirming what they’re doing right, correcting mistakes, or connecting with them personally. “We’re not going to be silent,” he said.
That approach showed up again after quarterback Deshaun Watson threw interceptions on consecutive plays during an early camp practice. Monken didn’t soften it. “Thought it sucked, that’s no fun, for him or for us on offense,” he told reporters, according to Bleacher Report. He then broke down exactly what went wrong on the play, crediting cornerback Denzel Ward for an “elite” read rather than making excuses for his quarterback.
It’s the kind of direct, no-spin communication players and beat writers say has defined his first camp. Fans are noticing too — the shift from Stefanski’s more measured public tone to Monken’s blunt style has become one of the bigger storylines of camp so far.
The Watson-Sanders Battle
Monken’s bluntness matters most right now because of the question hanging over the entire offense: who starts at quarterback. Watson is working back into the mix after missing all of 2025 while recovering from a torn Achilles. Shedeur Sanders, who started seven games as a rookie, is pushing hard for the job, along with Dillon Gabriel.
Through the first stretch of camp, Sanders has reportedly been the more efficient passer, according to Dawg Pound Daily, citing reporting out of Berea. Monken, for his part, has said the competition will be decided by performance, not seniority or salary. Watson is still viewed as the presumptive favorite in some corners, but nothing is settled — and Monken has shown no interest in protecting a starter from criticism if the tape doesn’t back it up.
What It Means Going Forward
None of this guarantees Cleveland turns things around fast. The Browns’ offense ranked last in scoring over the past two seasons, and Monken inherited a roster where close to half the projected Week 1 starters on offense are first- or second-year players. That’s a lot of inexperience to develop at once.
But the early temperature in Berea suggests a program getting shaken out of a rut. A head coach willing to publicly call out a bad throw, name the exact coverage beater that got Watson picked off, and set a demanding practice tempo is a different starting point than the Browns had a year ago. Whether that translates to wins is still an open question. Whether it’s already changed the day-to-day feel of the building is not.
