General manager Andrew Berry got plenty of flowers for his uber-productive 2025 draft class. In fact, the stellar play of rookies like Mason Graham, Carson Schwesinger, Harold Fannin Jr., and Quinshon Judkins might’ve saved Berry’s job.
The pressure has thus been dialed up to a 10 for Cleveland, which is ushering in the Todd Monken era this offseason with Berry still in his post. The Browns are short on salary cap space, but they do hold 10 total selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, including pick Nos. 6, 24, and 39 overall.
Making the rounds at the NFL Scouting Combine this week, Monken hasn’t exactly hidden the fact that his team’s No. 1 focus will be on reinforcing the trenches. On the offensive side, that could mean finding three or four new Week 1 starters, depending on what left guard Joel Bitonio decides in regards to his potential retirement.
It’s the team’s plan at quarterback that’s been more mysterious. Some team reporters, like Zac Jackson of The Athletic, expect the team to push for either Malik Willis in free agency, or Anthony Richardson via trade. The team has also been linked to later-round draft prospects like Carson Beck, who was Monken’s quarterback for multiple seasons with the Georgia Bulldogs, when Monken was the program’s offensive coordinator.
But there’s another potential QB connection for Monken and the Browns that has become impossible to ignore this week at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson, whose father, Jason, has ties to Monken through Southern Mississippi, told reporters it would “be a dream come true” to get drafted by the Browns and develop in their offense in 2026.
Ty Simpson would be a no-brainer selection for the Browns at No. 39 overall
This year’s quarterback class is expected to shake out similar to last year’s, when Cam Ward went No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans and the next QB wasn’t taken until pick No. 25, when the Giants traded up for Jaxon Dart.
Simpson could get the Dart treatment this April. He’s not viewed on the same tier as Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, and could fly off the board anywhere from the middle of Day 1 to early on Day 2.
That puts the Browns in an interesting spot, given they pick at both No. 24, via the Jacksonville Jaguars, and No. 39, which is the seventh pick of the second round. When asked about Simpson at the combine this week, Monken made it clear that Simpson was one of his guys.
“I like Ty,” Monken said. “I liked Ty when he was coming out (of high school). When I first got to Georgia, they hadn't offered him, and I went up there and talked to his dad; in fact, his dad Jason is a Southern Miss alum, and I was the head coach at Southern Miss. So I got to know them really well. Really fond of Ty. Obviously, really good football player.”
The reality check here is that the Browns already have a brewing quarterback competition on their hands with Shedeur Sanders, who started the final seven games of the 2025 regular season, and Deshaun Watson, who’s now fully healthy from a twice ruptured Achilles tendon. Their needs are dire enough at other premium positions, like offensive tackle and wide receiver, that they’re more likely to explore quarterback options like Beck and Drew Allar on Day 3 of the draft, than to spend a top-40 pick on Simpson.
But the connection here is strong enough that some experts have mocked Simpson to Cleveland at No. 24 overall. That feels like a stretch. But if Simpson slips to the early stages of Day 2, when the Browns will quickly be back on the clock, things would undoubtedly get really interesting in Cleveland’s war room.