Todd Monken didn’t sound like a coach trying to manage expectations after the Browns’ second straight fourth-quarter comeback. He sounded like a guy enjoying the ride.
With his hat flipped backward and both hands planted on the podium, the first-year Cleveland coach opened his postgame remarks with a short speech that had plenty of swagger and plenty of personality. The Browns are 2-1, they have a chance to move into sole possession of first place in the AFC North on Thursday night against the Steelers, and Monken is making sure nobody around the team is acting like that’s normal.
When reporters told him Pittsburgh had beaten Cincinnati on Sunday, leaving all four teams in the division - including Baltimore - sitting at 2-1, Monken lit up.
“So, what are we, all tied at first?” Monken said, as if he was sitting on a barstool talking to Browns fans.
“We’re all in first place? So, right, so we’re playing for first place.
Holy s-, isn’t that cool or what? I mean, so our guys, we’re ready to rock and roll.
We’ll be good to go. But appreciate the fans, you know, and we’re not perfect.
We’re not. Coaching or playing.
But we’re going to fight like hell to get there. I promise you.”
That kind of response has become part of the early-season story in Cleveland. Monken has brought a loose, upbeat energy to a team that hasn’t put together four clean quarters yet, at least not in terms of complementary football, but has still found a way to stack wins.
And for Browns fans, that matters more than the usual doom spiral about draft position.
There’s always going to be a crowd that wants to measure every victory against the 2027 draft board, especially with Deshaun Watson under center. But betting against wins now for the sake of a pick seven months from now is a hard sell.
Watson’s return has added some juice over the last two weeks, though it hasn’t changed the bigger picture. He isn’t playing well enough to force a change in the plan that’s been in place since December of 2024, and the source material makes clear that come March of 2027, Watson will be released with a post-June 1 designation because of the salary cap penalties tied to his fully-guaranteed, heavily restructured contract.
That reality doesn’t make Browns wins any less valuable this season.
Cleveland has young talent all over the roster, and learning how to win matters. Building a winning habit is not some throwaway cliché. The more this group figures out how to finish games now, the better positioned it will be when Shedeur Sanders or “Player X” is the next quarterback in line in 2027 and beyond.
Monday brought one more reason for Browns fans to feel good about the present. Daniel Oyefusi noted that teams starting 3-1 reach the playoffs more than 65% of the time. Cleveland has a real shot to get there, and if it does, the conversation around the team changes fast.
Even if the Browns wind up outside the top 10 in next year’s draft, that doesn’t mean they’ll be stuck. If the season ended today, their pick would land 18th, according to NFL Tankathon.
Finish in the teens and they’d miss out on Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith and the top quarterback names like Arch Manning and Dante Moore, but the Browns would still be sitting on two first-round picks and 11 overall. They also have the Rams’ first-rounder from the Garrett trade, and Los Angeles already has two losses.
Andrew Berry and his staff have already shown they can work draft weekend well, and the 2027 class is expected to be deep from the quarterbacks on down.
For now, though, the message from the coach is simpler than all that future-gazing. Monken has been saying it since Day 1: winning cures all. And right now, the Browns are doing enough of it to make the season feel a lot more interesting than anyone expected when June 1 rolled around.
In Other News...
Browns Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Crowded QB Room
The Browns are taking a clear line on their quarterback depth chart, and for now it does not include shopping either of their young passers. Even with Deshaun Watson still established as the starter, Cleveland is choosing to keep Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel in house, a sign the team still values having multiple options available behind its top quarterback.
In a league where injuries can turn a room upside down in a hurry, that approach makes sense from a roster-building standpoint. The Browns have watched other teams scramble for help at the position, but they are not treating that market as a reason to move either Sanders or Gabriel, preferring to keep both around as depth while the season takes shape. [Read more 🡒]
Denzel Ward Is Finally Being Used Like Browns Fans Always Wanted
Under new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg, Denzel Ward is being deployed the way Browns fans have long wanted, with more freedom to shadow opponents top wideouts instead of staying locked into a more rigid assignment. It has given Clevelands best corner a chance to lean into the part of his game that has always stood out most, and it showed in the Browns 21-18 win, where he drew a major share of the coverage work against Tetairoa McMillan.
McMillan finished with just one catch for 12 yards, another reminder of how disruptive Ward can be when hes allowed to travel with a No. 1 target. He has often been underrated in past seasons, but his coverage ability and pass breakup production have consistently placed him among the leagues best corners, and this new approach only adds to the sense that Cleveland is finally maximizing a key piece of its defense. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Monken May Already Be Changing Something In Cleveland
The Browns got a win over Carolina in Week 3, but it came with plenty of the usual reminders that this offense still has work to do. The home crowd saw a low-output performance and a handful of penalties, while the individual evaluations from the game painted a mixed picture for both rookies and established starters. Even in a victory, the sense around the building is that the margin for error remains thin.
What has drawn attention is the early coaching imprint Todd Monken appears to be leaving on the group. The article points to a possible shift in how Cleveland is being shaped offensively, even as the team turns quickly to the next challenge in Week 4. For a Browns team trying to stabilize its identity, the bigger question may be whether the changes already showing up can hold up once the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]