At the end of the day, Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken will be the only person in charge of determining who is QB1 in 2026. Many analysts and fans will give their opinions, but the final say is up to Monken alone.
He has been working in professional football for years, particularly in offense. Therefore, Monken has ideas in mind when thinking of his dream candidate for the big job.
In a new piece for Cleveland.com, he highlighted the traits he is searching for in a starting quarterback.
“It’s who makes plays? Who’s got an inner toughness to move the offense and get us in the end zone. And then ultimately, who does the team believe in? And usually that correlates. The team’s going to believe in the guy that gives us the best chance to score and win. And when the game’s on the line, whether it’s third downs, fourth downs, two-minute, that they feel comfortable like we would want that ball in their hands,” Monken said.
These are the right things to say and remind fans that Monken is looking for a leader, first and foremost. He wants someone who will inspire and guide the rest of the team. The Browns’ next starting quarterback has to be someone who has the right judgment and can be relied on again and again.
When it comes to inner toughness, Deshaun Watson might have a slight leg up. Due to his years in the league, he has more experience under his belt, which often leads to confidence and toughness that comes with age. Therefore, he could be in a better position than newcomers Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, who have only spent one full season in the NFL.
When Monken was hired, he said his top priority was to help the Browns score more. He is an offense-minded coach, and it was obvious his main focus would be scoring more points. He needs a quarterback he can trust and count on to make that happen.
This latest statement from him clearly describes the sort of team leader he is hunting for; now he just needs to determine who that is.
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