Monken excited to work with Shedeur, but Browns' No. 1 QB TBD
New Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken expressed excitement about working with Shedeur Sanders next season but stopped short of endorsing him as the starting quarterback.
"Like any position on the team, that's still to be determined," Monken told reporters Tuesday when asked if Sanders would be the starter in 2026. "Am I excited about Shedeur, am I excited about all the quarterbacks in the room, am I excited to coach this football team? Absolutely! I can't wait for them to get back and for us to get started."
Sanders started seven games in his rookie campaign. He passed for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and completed 56.6% of his passes. The Colorado product was elevated to the No. 1 role last season after Joe Flacco was traded and Dillon Gabriel started six games.
Sanders was named to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. The young signal-caller talked glowingly Monday of the "connection" he felt with Monken in a meeting at the team's facility and the coach's general demeanor, according to The Associated Press.
The Browns have struggled to find stability under center in recent years. Cleveland has three quarterbacks under contract for next season: Deshaun Watson, Gabriel, and Sanders. Watson missed the entire 2025 season after having a second surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon.
Monken said he'd spoken with Cleveland defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who had been a finalist for the head coaching job, but said it was "inappropriate" to answer whether or not Schwartz would be part of the Browns' new staff.
Owner Jimmy Haslam said Monken was "leading the pack" throughout a coaching search that started with 20-25 candidates, per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi. Browns ownership expects the coaching change will allow the club to improve on last season's 5-12 record, which resulted in the firing of previous head coach Kevin Stefanski.
"Do I expect we will win more games? I do," Haslam said Tuesday. "And I think we'll have a better football team. ... We're not gonna be ugly to watch."