When Todd Monken was officially introduced as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, he cried literal tears of joy. His excitement and eagerness to land in Cleveland specifically quickly resonated with Browns fans who have been starving for more substance and less fluff.
It didn’t take long for those smiles to turn into scowls, though.
One of the quotes of Cleveland’s offseason so far came out of Week 1 of OTAs, when Monken was asked about the defense’s ability to create turnovers. Monken naturally reacted more like a salty old offensive coordinator than a head coach, calling his team's multiple interceptions and fumbles "embarrassing."
I asked #Browns Todd Monken about the defensive plays made today—a couple of interceptions and a forced fumble.
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) May 21, 2026
“Yeah, we threw interceptions in 7-on-7 for God’s sake. I mean, who does that? There’s no pass rush. I mean, it’s embarrassing.” pic.twitter.com/YVn8P0IMi7
The Browns were back on the field for their second three-day block of OTA practices this week, and let’s just say that Monken’s blunt message to his offense didn’t exactly resonate with his players.
Per ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi (and every other Browns reporter who watched Wednesday’s practice), all three of Cleveland’s quarterbacks tossed interceptions during similar non-contact throwing periods. Deshaun Watson was picked off in the end zone. Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel both had passes bounce off their intended receiver’s hands only to be caught and taken back the other way.
It’s still extremely early, but the Browns’ inability to complete passes in non-contact sessions with no pass rush is definitely concerning.
Concentration and accuracy issues could complicate the Browns’ QB competition
Cleveland has one more week of OTAs, followed by a mandatory full-squad minicamp from June 9-11 before the team breaks for a month ahead of training camp.
When the team reconvenes in July, the pads come on, and the competition is sure to heat up with the likes of Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, and Carson Schwesinger giving Monken’s young offense everything it can handle.
As it stands, the offense’s chances of executing in a live setting against one of the NFL’s best defenses feel dubious at best.
Zac Jackson of The Athletic had this to say about the Browns’ quarterback competition and offensive execution as a whole coming out of Wednesday’s practice:
“The guess from here is that the coaching staff is mostly focused on consistency of reads, mastery of the operation and overall performance. It’s probably fair to guess, too, that the coaching staff has to be worried both about the lack of accuracy from the quarterback group as a whole and the drops on passes that should be caught.”
Thankfully, we’re still at the beginning of the Browns’ offseason program, because it sounds like Monken has to go back to square one. He may be one of the best offensive play callers in the NFL, but that won’t mean anything if his quarterbacks and receivers continue to be careless with the football.
Monken’s attempt to deliver a blunt message through the media clearly didn’t stick. The Browns better hope it gets received entering Block 3 of OTAs, because things could unravel quickly once the real football practices begin in a couple of months.
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