After a laborious process, the Cleveland Browns have their next head coach, Todd Monken. Most recently the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator, Monken is one of the most well-respected veteran offensive minds in football, and is now getting his first head coaching opportunity. But one advantage he also brings to the Browns given his storied and well-traveled career is that he has plenty of connections that he can lean upon in order to try and beef up the roster in Cleveland.
Monken worked for the Ravens from 2023-25, was with the Georgia Bulldogs in college the three years before that (2020-22), and Browns fans will obviously remember his tenure in 2019 as the offensive coordinator. That is to say, there are a lot of talented players who could help Cleveland take a step forward that their new head coach knows well. But these five players who've played for Monken, specifically, would make sense going into the 2026 season if they ended up with the Browns.
OT Joe Noteboom
Played for Monken on the 2025 Baltimore Ravens
Let's not get it twisted, Joe Noteboom at 30 years old isn't exactly a game-changer. In his one season with Baltimore last year, he was used sparingly, playing fewer than 200 snaps as a proverbial swing tackle, but more pointedly a depth option for the Ravens. At the same time, the Browns are a team that is going to need some depth in the trenches in the worst way moving forward.
Not only has the once-formidable offensive line in Cleveland both dissipated and aged in recent years, but we're also likely to see some of those pieces, most notably Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio, let walk in free agency this offseason. That doesn't even go to mention the likely loss of Cam Robinson, Ethan Pocic, and other less-established pieces on the O-line. Put simply, the Browns are going to have to rebuild this group.
While I'm not saying that Noteboom should be slotted in as the starter at either tackle spot, he's an experienced veteran who could play a similar role for the Browns that he did for the Ravens last season. As a low-cost addition, that might fit Cleveland's immediate needs more than anyone else on this list, even if it also might be the least sexy option.
WR George Pickens
Played for Monken at Georgia from 2020-21
In case you didn't know, the Browns are in dire need of wide receiver help. The Jerry Jeudy addition has been a disaster almost entirely, though there were some flashes of false hope over the years. And really, outside of breakout rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr., there aren't seemingly any bankable pass-catchers in this offense for Shedeur Sanders or whoever else to throw to. So why not think about the best free agent on the market, George Pickens.
Pickens' time with the Georgia Bulldogs overlapped with Monken for a couple of years, and while the Dawgs offense wasn't force-feeding Pickens by any stretch of the imagination, his unreal talent was evident then. Furthermore, Monken and the Georgia staff seemingly had a good grasp on how to rein in Pickens and his mercurial nature. There were speedbumps, sure, and the occasional mental lapses on the field, but overall, he went out, did his job, and performed for the Bulldogs.
While I'm dubious that the Cowboys will let Pickens out of Dallas this offseason, if that were to be the case, the Browns would have to make the call now that Monken is in the building. Not only would the addition of an elite wide receiver propel the offense forward behind a new offensive mind, but the familiarity could actually make it a nice fit.
QB Carson Beck
Played for Monken at Georgia from 2020-22
We're going a bit outside the box here, but while Monken was also the offensive coordinator at Georgia, he was simultaneously the quarterbacks coach as well. That might lead you to think about the possibility of adding a Stetson Bennett IV, which I wouldn't hate either. However, I think it's more likely that it could mean that Monken and the Browns potentially bring in more competition for Shedeur, Dillon Gabriel and (maybe) Deshaun Watson by drafting Carson Beck.
Beck, who just finished leading Miami to a national runner-up season in college football, obviously began his career at Georgia and, while he didn't see the field much, he worked with Monken in the program for three years as the new Browns head coach was the QBs coach. And while Beck isn't a first-round talent, he's a steady hand with a ton of experience that could be a valuable addition to this particularly young and volatile quarterback room.
Furthermore, Beck's experience with Monken won't just help him compete for snaps and a spot on the depth chart in Cleveland, it could also prove to be a symbiotic relationship with the other young quarterbacks to help guys like Sanders and Gabriel better pick up a new offensive system after this regime change.
WR Rashod Bateman
Played for Monken with the Baltimore Ravens from 2023-25
This one's going to be interesting, largely because the Ravens are starting anew in their own right in terms of coaching with Jesse Minter taking over, which could soothe some things with Rashod Bateman. However, the wide receiver has been the subject of trade rumors in recent years, still signed an extension with Baltimore, but then is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career in 2025. And nevermind the potential social media posts bashing the team, over which he claimed he was hacked.
Obviously, that's a lot to sort through, and it could very well be a situation wherein the relationship between Monken and Bateman was largely the problem with the wide receiver's productivity in the offense. At the same time, we've already talked about the Browns' dire need for help in the pass-catcher department, and now there's renewed talk that Bateman could end up on the trade block this offseason, which makes the connection to the new head coach at least worth noting.
Of all the players on this list, I'm actually the least inclined when it comes to Bateman. He's never quite produced at the level that the Ravens had hoped, and there's a chance that Monken just isn't a fan of utilizing him heavily in his offense. But if that's not the case, the connection is strong enough between the two to be worth noting.
LB Quay Walker
Played at Georgia with Monken from 2020-21
Monken, obviously, wasn't involved with the defense during his time at Georgia, but that doesn't mean he's not familiar with Quay Walker, who played linebacker for the Dawgs for Monken's first two years in Athens before being drafted by the Packers. But now, Walker is set to hit free agency, and he could make sense as a shiny new toy to keep that side of the ball as an undeniable strength in Cleveland moving forward, regardless of what happens with Jim Schwartz.
While the Browns have some nice young pieces like Carson Schwesinger and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah at linebacker, not only are both players coming off injuries, but Cleveland could also lose both Jerome Baker and Devin Bush in free agency this offseason. That could then stand to reason that they could add more high-end veteran linebackers to the mix, and Walker could be that addition for this team.
Make no mistake, Walker never quite lived up to the billing in Green Bay as his four years have been marred by inconsistency. At the same time, there's an abundance of talent when it comes to the former first-round pick, and it would make sense for the Browns in need of more depth to take a flier, potentially on a cheap-ish one-year prove-it deal, on a player with his physical tools to see if he can finally put it together. And his familiarity with Monken, even if tangential, could be valuable in that.