Todd Monken to Browns bombshell gives Bengals' nemesis legitimate hope

The state of Ohio deserves so much better re: NFL franchises. As much of a mess as the Cincinnati Bengals are at times, they're outdone at every turn by the Cleveland Browns.

Imagine growing up in central Ohio and trying to decide which team to pick as the one to hitch your wagon to between these two beauties. The Browns actually did the Bengals one of the biggest favors of their otherwise-awful 2025 season by trading Joe Flacco to Cincy. Thanks for that, Andrew Berry!

I'm sure most of the Dawg Pound faithful will be screaming at the sky over the Adam Schefter-reported hiring of Todd Monken as their new old-head head coach. But like...what did y'all expect? Monken is about the best-case scenario fathomable given Cleveland's current circumstances.

Browns hiring Todd Monken as head coach gives them a puncher's chance vs. Bengals in 2026 & much more thereafter

All due respect to Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase, who was in the running for this Browns job, but Cleveland did him a favor by passing him up. This ain't for the faint of heart.

Not that Scheelhaase is faint of heart. It's just that the Browns will age you like a U.S. president. Scheelhaase is in his wheelhouse as a close ally of an elite head coach in Sean McVay. He's a 35-year-old who looks 30. One three-year stint in Cleveland would leave Scheelhaase grayed-out and looking as if he's pushing 50.

This was a vacancy for someone who's both familiar and comfortably numb to the goings-on at Browns HQ in Berea. Monken was Cleveland's offensive coordinator in 2019, the infamous one-and-done stint where the ultimate aw-shucks Freddie Kitchens was in charge.

Complete dumpster fire. Shout out ESPN's Ben Solak for digging up this anecdote on Monken's prior Cleveland stint:

I'm already seeing Browns-centric radio hosts whining about Monken not doing enough for Ravens two-time MVP Lamar Jackson this past season. These geniuses then land on the conclusion of, "if he can't help Lamar, how's he going to help Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson!?"

Hey gents, did you happen to see all the injuries that piled up on Lamar this season? Or that Baltimore's offensive line slipped from seventh to twenty-fourth in PFF's pass blocking grades?

Remind me, after winning back-to-back national championships at the University of Georgia as the play-caller, when did Monken land with the Ravens? Oh right. Before the 2023 season got underway.

Let me see something here...Lamar Jackson's passing stats from 2023-24 were as follows: 7,850 yards, 65 TDs, 11 INTs, and a 111.3 passer rating. He also ran for 1,736 yards and nine TDs in that span.

Is that good? And even during a "down year" when Lamar missed four starts, it took one of the most epic collapses in NFL history at Buffalo in Week 1, and a failed field goal in the regular-season finale to prevent the Ravens from winning the AFC North.

Todd Monken put an 8-9 Baltimore team in excellent position to win 10 games at minimum, despite Lamar being down for four of them. And despite a below-average defense to complement his unit. Monken was the chief catalyst for Prime Lamar's progress to unlocking his full potential.

Now, Monken gets the sticks for a Browns team absolutely loaded on defense, armed with two first-round picks, and has a built-in grace period to figure out the quarterback position.

If totally-deserving Pro Bowler Shedeur Sanders or the walking disgrace that is Deshaun Watson can't hack it this season, Monken can have his pick at who leads his offense at QB going forward. Wouldn't be shocked to see Monken keep Cleveland competitive whether it's Sanders or Watson under center, though.

The Bengals and Joe Burrow have had notorious trouble handling the Browns' Myles Garrett-led defense. As doomed as Cleveland is salary cap-wise for 2026, that unit is largely intact. Monken's larger concern is how to account for probably losing most of his offensive line to free agency.

It'll take another exceptional draft class on the heels of 2025's stellar group for the Browns to have hope. Once they're out of the woods on Watson's $80+ million cap hit for the new year, though, Monken should have Cleveland ready to rock.

And that's bad news for the Bengals.

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