Todd Monken didn’t hide his appreciation for joint practices on Wednesday, and his comments only sharpened the mystery around why the New England Patriots skipped one with the Browns.
With preseason pairings now routinely featuring shared workouts instead of just exhibition snaps, Monken made clear he sees real value in the setup. Cleveland has already used that format twice this summer, practicing against the Chicago Bears last week and then hosting the Buffalo Bills before their Week 2 meeting. The Browns are one of 28 teams in 2026 that arranged joint sessions with preseason opponents.
“Well, it’s a measuring stick ... I think the players would look at it as an opportunity to see where they’re at individually, whereas coaches, we look at where are we individually and then collectively as a team, schematically, what we’re doing, and all of that gives you a chance to build confidence as you move forward and also evaluate the roster, because you’re really going against yourself."
"Just like the Bears preseason game, you get to evaluate where you’re at. I know I’m excited, our guys are excited.
It’s the one opportunity we get. We didn’t have another to practice with other teams.”
That makes the Patriots’ decision stand out even more. New England’s coaching tree and Cleveland’s have been intertwined for years, from Bill Belichick to Eric Mangini to Romeo Crennel, and current Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel even spent his 2024 sabbatical as a consultant for the Browns. On paper, there’s plenty of familiarity there.
The schedule might have played a role, since the teams are set to meet Thursday, August 27. But that explanation only goes so far. Patriots starters are unlikely to play much, if at all, in the game, and a joint practice would have given them another chance to work against a different team before the regular season opener 13 days later against the Seattle Seahawks.
Vrabel’s Patriots have already taken part in joint practices with the Eagles and Colts, so this one omission is hard to ignore. And with 10 teams still holding joint sessions in preseason Week 3, it’s not as if the opportunity had vanished by the end of the calendar.
There’s also the matter of timing and relationships. When Vrabel was around the Browns, Kevin Stefanski was still in charge.
Maybe the familiarity with Stefanski mattered. Maybe the move away from Cleveland changed the comfort level.
Or maybe Monken’s style simply didn’t inspire enough trust for a shared workout, especially when it comes to keeping intensity in check and avoiding practice scuffles or late hits on the quarterback.
To be fair, Monken has already had to cut short two camp sessions this summer for one reason or another. So the Patriots may have had practical concerns of their own. Even so, it’s an unusual setup, and Monken’s decision to bring it up only makes it more noticeable.
Maybe it ends up meaning nothing at all. But if these two teams meet again down the road and the temperature suddenly spikes, this little preseason detour will be easy to remember.
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