Cleveland Browns: RPO could be in the near future

New Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Todd Monken discussed his plans for the team this season and touched on why the RPO could be a part of his arsenal

After an extensive coaching search, the Cleveland Browns decided that former interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens was their man. They then had to replace their play caller, which led them to hire former Southern Miss head coach and Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

While it’s true that the offense will still likely feature the kind of scheme we saw from Kitchens last season, Monken will still bring his own ideas to the table. And in his opening press conference with the team, he dove into the idea of using the RPO (Run-Pass Option) with Cleveland.

In dissecting how the RPO would help, Monken stressed the idea of efficiency over statistics — as well as the types of plays run.

"“I think people get caught up in – that is why when I talked about balance, if you have a run play with an RPO built into it, it is a play. That is not run-pass (balance). The efficiency of the play is what is important, not who touched it. Sometimes we get way caught up in run yards/pass yards. It is efficiency of what you do, being explosive, not turning it over and scoring touchdowns. That is what it is really about.” — Monken said in his press conference via Jeff Risdon of USA Today’s Browns Wire"

Monken pointed to the success of other teams in using this scheme. He highlighted the success the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs each had in allowing their team to set up different screen passes using the option.

As for the Browns, this would be a huge benefit to Baker Mayfield as he continues to develop. While he’s perfectly capable of playing a traditional style of offense where he sits in the pocket and picks defenses apart, he could be even better if defenses are confused by what he intends to do with the football. We saw some of this at Oklahoma while Mayfield was with the Sooners and there’s no reason to think he can’t find even more success in the NFL with it.

Looking ahead to the 2019 season is exciting for Browns fans after the way they performed in the second half of last season. Should they add even more wrinkles to an already improved offense, the excitement will only grow.