Todd Monken landing in Baltimore could be a huge win for Browns
By Randy Gurzi
The Baltimore Ravens signed Todd Monken as their offensive coordinator and while he’s had some success, it could be a win for the Cleveland Browns
Following back-to-back NCAA Championships, Todd Monken decided he wanted to get back to coaching in the NFL. The former Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator met with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the Baltimore Ravens, and in the end, will be returning to the AFC North.
At first glance, it seems as though this should be a win for the Ravens. But reading between the lines could lead to a belief that Cleveland — and the rest of the AFC North — will be happy about this move.
Baltimore made the decision to bring in Monken due to their fondness for his offense at Georgia. The Ravens liked the way Monken used a two tight end set with one running back, as well as his ability to get the most out of quarterback Stetson Bennett.
The tight end part makes a lot of sense considering Baltimore has been utilizing this approach for years but the fact that they’re concerned with how he did with quarterbacks could mean they’re not confident they will be able to retain Lamar Jackson.
Right now, the former NFL MVP is in a stalemate with the Ravens in regard to his contract talks. There’s already a belief the Browns made this tough on them by giving Deshaun Watson a fully guaranteed $230 million contract (that’s such a shame). Now instead of talking about how their MVP can work with Monken, they’re talking about his ability to elevate someone such as Bennett.
Perhaps this is a hint that they believe Jackson won’t re-sign and they’ll be needing Monken to work up an offense that helps elevate Tyler Huntley.
As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also a hint that Monken could be reunited with Baker Mayfield in Baltimore.
Whether it’s Huntley or Mayfield, Cleveland would prefer that matchup to Jackson any day. So hopefully they went after a coach they feel can help one of them become the replacement for the former MVP.
