The beauty of Todd Monken as head coach of the Cleveland Browns so far has been his authenticity. He hasn't had many opportunities to get behind a microphone and speak to Browns fans through the local media yet, but he's already proving to be a truth-bomb machine whenever he gets the chance.
Monken still needs to read the room when it comes to Deshaun Watson, though.
Watson's Browns tenure started in 2022 with an unprecedented, fully-guaranteed contract and an 11-game suspension, and it only got worse from there. While he's shown some flashes of the former Pro Bowl quarterback of the Houston Texans, he's only managed to play in 19 games due to injuries and off-field issues. Now entering the final year of his $230 million contract, he's had close to 30 civil lawsuits from women alleging sexual assault.
Monken's clearly more concerned with the present and future for the Browns than he is with the past, and that's good news for Watson, who's been working hard behind the scenes to return from a twice-torn Achilles tendon. His contract makes him virtually impossible to release until March of 2027, so if Watson does return to the field this year — which Browns leadership hasn't ruled out — it'll almost certainly be for the Browns.
That's a harsh reality for a fanbase that's fully over the Watson experience, much like it was with Kevin Stefanski following the 2025 season. Browns fans are ready for the next era, and the idea of Watson starting games in 2026 feels like a brutal mind game at this point.
Monken only added more fuel to that fire during his media session at the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday.
"I think any time that you have a player that at one time has exhibited a skillset at an elite level, I think you're always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we might be able to get that out of him again," Monken said. "But I think that's how you should look at every player. I've said that. You guys have heard me say it. I'm going to let it play out."
Browns general manager Andrew Berry said something similar during his Tuesday presser at the combine, so this may be nothing more than team leadership being in lockstep with its messaging. Watson's going to be on Cleveland's roster regardless in 2026, so it would be foolish to completely rule him out before OTAs.
Monken can't help himself, though, and his Watson comments took a bizarre turn that left fans scratching their heads on Wednesday.
Todd Monken might want this coaching analogy back
It's one thing, as a coach, to want to see how things play out in practice before making any rash judgments on the depth chart.
It's another to use a history class analogy while speaking on a player whose history with the Browns grades out to an emphatic F.
"I think it'd be completely unfair, just like it would be in any classroom setting, be it a history exam, and all the students walk in, and before they're actually given the exam you give them a grade. Well how would you give them a grade?" Monken said, adding, "Now you're going to have some preconceived notions, because we have prior evidence, but I don't decide who plays — the players decide who plays. I've never decided who plays."
These are obviously harmless comments, and Monken meant no harm. But he clearly needs to read the room going forward. We're way past preconceived notions when it comes to Watson and the Browns, and the real evidence should be all over the game film. He's 9-10 overall as a starter for Cleveland, and per ESPN, his 33.1 total QBR since 2022 would rank last among all qualifying NFL passers.
If it's Shedeur Sanders vs. Watson for the QB1 job in training camp this summer, those public practices in Berea are going to feel like Sanders home games. It's almost impossible to envision the Browns seriously considering Watson as their Week 1 starter in 2026, but Monken might be a big enough wild-card to breathe life into a storyline that fans just want to forget.