Stop me if you've heard this one before: the Cleveland Browns have questions at the quarterback position. This team has been doomed to wander endlessly through a landmine-laden desert in search of a franchise QB, only to find mirages at every turn. That may be about to change come the 2027 NFL Draft, but that'd be getting ahead of ourselves.
The Browns — and Shedeur Sanders — have an opportunity in 2026. Jobs are up for grabs, and if Sanders is able to win the QB competition with Deshaun Watson, he gives fans a reason to tune in. He's young, he's hungry, and he flashed at times as a rookie. That certainly beats the alternative.
With that in mind, NFL Spin Zone's Lou Scataglia ranked the entire league's QB–HC duos, and the Browns have done it again. They ranked dead last. There's Chad Ochocinco and then there's Cleveland Treintados. Only this time, the ranking might not necessarily be warranted. The Browns have potential in their pairing, something that can't be said for several other NFL franchises.
The Browns' QB–HC pairing deserves more credit than it's getting
The Browns always seem to get the complete opposite of the benefit of the doubt. The doubt of the benefit? I'm not sure. In any case, Scataglia went with Watson as his presumed starter for the Browns, and delivered a scorching jab at Todd Monken — who's only been on the job a couple of months.
"Deshaun Watson should be able to win this starting job," Scataglia said. "With a first-year head coach also in the mix, it would not be a shock if both Watson and Todd Monken were not in the picture in the future. Watson hasn't been good in what feels like five years and Monken, while a successful offensive coordinator, is not at all guaranteed success as a head coach."
Writing off Todd Monken before he's coached a game is certainly a choice. Watson being named the starter is also quite presumptuous. At the risk of sounding pedantic, a Shedeur Sanders–Todd Monken pairing is much more exciting than a handful of teams that ranked ahead of Cleveland in this piece.
In a world where Jacoby Brissett is the expected starter for an NFL franchise in 2026, it's difficult to envision that pairing not being ranked 32nd. Oh, and his first-year head coach didn't call the plays in his most recent stop with the Los Angeles Rams. Surely nothing could go wrong there.
Then there's the Geno Smith–Aaron Glenn pairing. Smith is fresh on the heels of commanding the Las Vegas Raiders to the No. 1 overall pick and drafting his replacement, Fernando Mendoza. Aaron Glenn's proclamation that Smith will lead the Jets to the promised land was taken the wrong way. He obviously meant Smith will repeat what he did last year and help the Jets land the No. 1 overall pick in 2027.
How about the Tua Tagovailoa–Kevin Stefanski grouping in Atlanta? A head coach who got fired after piloting the league's No. 31 offense and a quarterback who was benched after tossing a league-leading 15 interceptions through 14 weeks shouldn't rank above the Browns or maybe anyone else.
Those are just a couple that stand out, and make it clear the grass isn't always greener on the other side. In three seasons calling the plays for the Baltimore Ravens, Todd Monken's offenses ranked 4th, 3rd, and 11th. The man knows offensive football. While he won't get to bring Lamar Jackson with him to Cleveland, he clearly has playcalling chops.
What's more, players like Brissett, Geno Smith, and Tagovailoa seem to represent exactly what Deshaun Watson is at this stage of his career: quarterbacks whose best days are behind them.
At least with Shedeur Sanders, the Browns have some hope that he can develop and improve in 2026. For that alone, Cleveland's duo at quarterback and head coach shouldn't rank last in the league. Folks can keep sleeping on this team and coach. The Browns will be more than happy to wake them up.
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