The Browns recently introduced Todd Monken as the 19th full-time head coach of the team, and now he is in the process of building out the coaching staff for the 2026 season. Then, they will work through the different mile markers of the offseason and create the scheme for their rostered players.
Senior media broadcaster Nathan Zegura sat down with Monken to discuss the outlook on the Browns and took questions virtually submitted by Browns season ticket members. Here are the main takeaways.
What is Monken looking for in a defensive coordinator?
One of the first tasks for Monken as the offseason continues is to build out his coaching staff. Not only his Monken curating his offensive group, he also is searching for a new defensive coordinator.
As he has conducted the search, Monken said one of the main traits he is looking for in a defensive coordinator is adaptability.
"It's a little unique here because we would like to keep the same system and the same style because I do believe our players are going to believe in the system first before the actual coordinator," Monken said. "I went through that in 2011 at Oklahoma State when I replaced Dana Holgorsen there. So, I think there is going to be a belief system and an attacking style defense. So, finding the right fit from an adaptability standpoint, but understanding what our players do best and how the roster has been built that way. You can't change the whole roster. You can change out pieces and try to get better in spots, but you certainly have to find the person that embodies what you want, in terms of inspiring our players to continue playing at the high level they played at. And yet, able to put their own spin on it. Certainly, like every year, every year you're going to adapt and evolve."
What does Monken see as his participation level in the 2026 NFL Draft?
The Browns have 10 total draft picks in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, including the sixth overall pick and the 24th overall pick. They have their own picks in Rounds 2-5, as well as a fifth-round pick from Las Vegas (QB Kenny Pickett trade), a fifth-round pick from Cincinnati (QB Joe Flacco trade), a sixth-round pick from Chicago (DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka trade) and a seventh-round pick from Seattle (C Nick Harris trade).
As Monken evaluates the roster and the coaching staff builds their schemes around their players, the rookies added through the draft will play an important role not only in the success of the team during the 2026 season, but also the future.
"Well first off, I certainly want to be involved," Monken said. "I put it this way, like any organization, I think when we are connected at the hip – me, Andrew Berry and ownership – I think like all of us, we would like our say. But there are certain areas where you are not going to get your way. I think just like Andrew is going to trust the call that we make on fourth-and-1, I'm going to trust his call in the draft. But we're all involved in how we get there. I think that's a collective way of approaching it, I think it's always best."
As the front office moves through the draft process and narrows down their list of potential players to add through the draft, Monken described certain character traits as non-negotiables that he looks for in young players that will fit the overall culture he is creating.
"When I think of what you want for non-negotiables, you want guys that love football, like to compete, like to work," Monken said. "Because if they don't like to work, they are not going to like it here. It's going to be a disappointment if we draft them and they don't like to work. That's just the way it's going to be. So that's a non-negotiable for those guys. And then after that, there are certain physical traits that are minimums, but ultimately, we've got to take the best player. The best player, and then we've got to make it work. [The goal] is to get guys that like to work and will understand that it's a developmental league and we're always under construction – individually and as a team."
What does Monken look for in assistant coaches?
Not only are the Browns adding new coordinators to the coaching staff, but Monken is also finding position coaches and assistants to round out the staff. In that search, Monken said there are certain personality traits he looks for in assistant coaches.
"You're going to look for people who are similar to you in how they approach their work on a daily basis, and how they approach working with people and finding solutions, I think that's the biggest thing," Monken said. "I said it in my press conference, we all have choices. As coaches or players – and this is what I'm looking for in coaches – is when things aren't going well, when there is disappointment, when we aren't as successful as we'd like to be, human nature is to start in this category of self-preservation. And that's fine, that's normal and that's human. But you can't stay in that category very long. You've got to flip over and pull your big boy pants up and own it and work like hell to fix it. And that's what I am looking for. Guys with integrity, that are intelligent, that work their rear ends off, that own it and fix it, and they can coach anything. It's going to be hard. This is not going to go smooth. I would like to say that it is going to, but it is not. There are going to be bumps that we're going to have to stick together as a staff, as a group and as an organization as you fight through that at any given moment. So that's the first and foremost."
In conjunction with the personality traits, Monken also believes there should be a blend of different tactical approaches. That dynamic creates a level of adaptability to find new ways to improve in all facets – from meetings and walkthroughs to other elements such as cadence or how plays are called.
"The guys that I've brought with me share the same vision of how we attack people and how we work," Monken said. "So, the core of what you bring with you has to be aligned with you. And then the other pieces that you add to that, you would love to get others that have been out there, (other) systems, that can add to us in terms of who they have been around and how they've attacked people, because you're always trying to evolve. This playbook that we will have moving forward will be a reflection of the core of what we believe in, but there is always some way to do it better."
