As Todd Monken stood at the podium for his introductory press conference as the new head coach of the Browns, he was authentically himself.
He displayed excitement for the opportunity to be a first-time head coach in the NFL and expressed gratitude for his journey to the moment. He became emotional when recognizing family members – including his late parents – for their unwavering support, shared stories of memories and pivotal moments, and cracked a few jokes along the way.
In showcasing his personality with a genuine authenticity, one of his answers about creating a culture of accountability for the Browns stood out among the rest.
"I think you have to hold the players accountable for what they say their dreams and aspirations are," Monken said on Feb. 3. "You have to find out what really do you want, individually with your career, and then what do you want collectively as a team. And all you're doing is holding them to what their goals and aspirations are, like people did for me. I am who I am because my parents did that for me. They didn't do that to me; they did that for me. And that's the way I go about it because I think everybody likes honesty 'till they don't like what's said to them honestly. […] I'm no different. I don't like the other side of it, but that's how I've gotten a lot better. And the people that love you the most, they're going to be honest with you. But all it is, is finding out what are your dreams and aspirations, and then let's fight like hell to achieve them."
Check out behind-the-scenes photos of Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken poses for a portrait after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken signs his contract after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry speaks to the media after Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry speaks to the media after Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken speaks to the media after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken speaks to the media after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken speaks to the media after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken speaks to the media after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken poses for a portrait after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken speaks to the media after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken speaks to the media after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken speaks to the media after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry speaks to the media after Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken speaks to the media after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken speaks to the media after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken speaks to the media after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry speaks to the media after Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken poses for a portrait after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken speaks to the media after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken poses for a portrait after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry speaks to the media after Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken poses for a portrait after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken poses for a portrait after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry speaks to the media after Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken poses for a portrait after his introductory press conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry speaks to the media after Head Coach Todd Monken's Introductory Press Conference at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on February 3, 2026.
As the Browns turn the page to the 2026 season, laying a foundation anchored by responsibility is a pivotal first building block. With a roster that is projected to be one of the younger rosters in the league due to draft resources and anticipated activity in free agency, according to Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry, instilling accountability from the jump in their new additions can help build an understanding among young players and their coaches of what is expected in pursuit of the collective goal.
Then on the offensive side of the ball, that commitment to accountability will be an important factor as they look to find success in 2026. The Browns struggled to play complementary football in 2025, as the offense finished 30th in total offense with 262.1 yards per game, while the defense ranked fourth in total defense with 283.6 yards per game. With the stated commitment to improving the offense in 2026, holding players to that standard can elicit the necessary progress they want to see on the offensive side of the ball.
It's also a mentality that players can gravitate towards. At the end of the 2025 season, CB Denzel Ward and other players voiced the importance of assertiveness and accountability in a new head coach.
"Just holding people accountable, holding guys accountable," Ward said on Jan. 5. "Like I said, nobody played great, our defense didn't play great all year. I mean we played well, but we just didn't play complementary football. But even just holding the offensive guys to a higher standard and making sure that guys are doing what they're supposed to do and just holding guys accountable when they're not, so I think just someone that's going to hold people accountable and hold people to a high standard."
The Browns found that person in Monken, hiring him to be the 19th full-time head coach in team history.
Monken reiterated the importance of accountability in a virtual Q&A session with season-ticket members on Feb. 10. From the coaches he is selecting as a part of his staff to the approach with the players in the locker room, the dedication to instilling responsibility can build the culture Monken wants to create in Cleveland.
"It starts with the staff you hire, first of all, and who gets around your players," Monken said. "That's the starting point of that. And then what type of players that we have, which from what I've seen, we've got the starting point of that. Because you win in other areas. So, it's the players that you have surrounded by the staff that you have."
With Monken settling in as head coach and the 2026 offseason continuing, this theme of accountability will continue to take shape as different steppingstones occur and the Browns ultimately prepare for the 2026 season. But holding a level of responsibility doesn't stop when the season rolls around; rather, the season will be the indication of how Monken and his coaching staff uphold the standard.
"And then it comes down to the players' belief and us being able to put them in the right position, individually and schematically, and our belief in them and the work we put in every day," Monken said. "I've heard it said before, I'm good with different personalities, but not with different mindsets. I think (Mike Vrabel) said that, and it resonates with me and made a lot of sense to me. Let the players be who they are, they should be who they are because everybody else is taken. Be the best you, don't try to be somebody else because they are already taken. But we all have to have the same mindset of why we're here – and that's to be unbelievably good at football. That's it. There's no other reason we're here other than to be elite at football."
