Todd Monken has become one of the biggest reasons Deshaun Watson’s season has turned so quickly.
Three weeks ago, plenty of people were ready to move on from Watson after the Browns’ Week 1 loss. Now Cleveland is 3-1, riding a three-game winning streak, and each of those wins has come with a fourth-quarter comeback. The opener has been buried under everything that followed, and Watson is still the starter.
He’s also stacking up the kind of numbers that make the turnaround feel real: 855 passing yards, a near-70% completion rate and six touchdown throws. But the performance alone doesn’t tell the whole story. Monken’s role in getting Watson back on track has been every bit as important.
Watson’s Cleveland run has been messy from the start. He has been suspended, injured, mocked by the media and at times flat-out rejected by the fanbase. Even entering the 2026 season, there were questions about whether the three-time Pro Bowler could ever be fully accepted as the Browns’ starting quarterback.
He spent the offseason battling second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders for the job, and he won it. Since then, Monken has stayed attached to the process, pushing Watson to clean things up and keep the job week after week.
Terry Pluto recently described how much work went on behind the scenes, especially after the rough opener against Jacksonville.
"After the 34-10 loss to Jacksonville, Monken publicly stood strong with Watson," he wrote on Cleveland.com. "But the week before the game at Tampa, there were some very tough video sessions. I was told it was perhaps some of the 'hardest coaching' he’s had since coming to the Browns."
That kind of direct coaching seems to have hit. Watson’s stat line since that Jaguars game looks much sharper: 650 yards, five touchdowns and one interception over the last three games. His QBR is up to 58.4, which ranks 18th in the NFL.
His best day so far came in the Week 2 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when he threw for nearly 250 yards and two touchdowns. Monken didn’t hide his satisfaction afterward.
"I'm happy for Deshaun," Monken said following the Week 2 win. "I expected improvement and I expect continued improvement.
There's a lot of football left in him. He just hasn't played in a while."
That line matters now more than it did then. At the time, it was easy to let it pass while the rest of the league was busy with other storylines.
But Monken’s message was clear: this wasn’t about a quarterback who had lost it. It was about a quarterback who needed time to get his rhythm and confidence back.
Now the Browns head to MetLife Stadium for a Week 5 road game against the New York Jets, and the spotlight is only getting brighter. The question hanging over Cleveland is simple: is this three-game run a mirage, or is there real life here?
Watson will try to keep answering that on the field, with Monken and the rest of the Browns behind him, as Cleveland goes after a fourth straight win.
In Other News...
Browns Defense Found Something That Is Fueling This Winning Streak
The Browns defense did not look like a unit ready to carry a winning streak out of Week 1, but it has settled in quickly since then. Over the last three games, Cleveland has started to play faster and with more confidence, and the change has been tied to defensive coordinator Jim Rutenbergs willingness to adjust the plan from week to week instead of sticking with one approach.
Rutenberg said recently that the staff is leaning into opponent tendencies and making sure the scheme fits the players strengths, which has helped the defense find a better rhythm. For a team riding a three-game surge, the bigger question now is whether that flexibility can keep paying off as the schedule brings a different kind of challenge each week. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Have One Jets Memory They Need To Leave Behind
The Browns head into Week 5 with plenty going their way, sitting at 3-1 and riding a three-game winning streak as they get ready to see the Jets again. For Cleveland, this is more than just another AFC meeting. It is also a reminder of how quickly a game against New York can tilt when special teams go sideways, and why the units sharper play this season has become part of the teams early success.
Clevelands recent progress in that phase has helped steady things around a roster trying to stack wins early in the year, and the Browns will want that reliability to hold up in New York. The Jets arrive at 1-3, but the Browns know the matchup does not need much help to turn tense, so keeping the hidden-yardage battle under control could be the difference between extending the run and reopening an old wound. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Suddenly Have A Defensive Line Problem Heading Into Jets Game
The Browns defensive front took a hit this week as they prepared for a matchup with the Jets, with Mason Graham and Mike Hall Jr. both unavailable after leaving the previous game with injuries. Both linemen missed recent practices, which made their status hard to miss as the week wore on, and their absence leaves Cleveland thinner in an area that usually helps set the tone for the defense.
With Graham and Hall Jr. sidelined, the Browns will need others to carry more of the load up front. Collins, Huntington and Williams are among the players expected to see expanded roles, giving Cleveland a different look in the trenches as it tries to steady a line that suddenly has more questions than it did just a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]