The Cleveland Browns‘ coaching search went just about how it was expected to go this month, with multiple candidates turning down interviews for the position, a late scramble to avoid NFL punishment, a hiring recommendation that was reportedly overridden by the owner and post-hiring dumpster fire of a mess when popular defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz left the building irate after he thought he’d be given the job.

Welcome to the Browns, Todd Monken. Actually, welcome back–Monken had been part of the staff for the 2019 Browns team that went 6-10 under Freddy Kitchens.

As part of the clean-up effort from the Monken hiring, the overworked public relations staff in Cleveland put out multiple statements from those who have worked with Monken in the past, the sort of third-party testimonials one might get from a realtor who wants your business or a defendant trying to get a judge to show leniency.

But one from the University of Georgia and coach Kirby Smart sparked an idea–Monken was, at one point, the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for 2026 NFL draft candidate Carson Beck.

Browns Give Todd Monken Testimonials

Here’s what Smart said about Monken as he was welcomed in as the new Browns coach:

“Todd brought an exceptional level of professionalism and creativity to our program. His ability to develop quarterbacks and craft game plans tailored to our players’ strengths was instrumental to our success. What we accomplished wouldn’t have been possible without his impact. We’re incredibly excited for Todd and Terri.”

But that did spark a notion from Browns beat writer Zac Jackson of The Athletic. With Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders on the roster already, the Browns appear to have a thing for very good college quarterbacks whose draft stock petered out. Why not add Beck?

Wrote Jackson on Twitter/X: “Carson Beck was at Georgia for Monken’s three years there. Beck is in this year’s draft.”

Carson Beck Ties Go Way Back

For the Browns, Beck would be a mid-round draft addition, like Gabriel and Sanders were, and probably fits the Gabriel mold of being light-armed but accurate and experienced. Beck led Miami to the College Football Playoff championship game this season after transferring last year. He was not all that impressive this season, though, and his draft stock is middling, at best.

Do they need another guy like that? Maybe not, but his connections with Monken run deep.

Beck was at Georgia for all three years that Monken was the quarterbacks coach and the offensive coordinator, and the Bulldogs won two national titles in that stretch, from 2020-22. But Beck was not the starter in any of those years–he mostly got garbage-time duties behind Stetson Bennett.

But there’s more. Beck and Monken’s son were youth baseball teammates when Monken was coaching in Jacksonville almost 20 years ago.

As Monken once said of Beck, “Having been around him when he was younger, he’s a young man who seeks knowledge and wants to know the offense inside and out. You definitely want someone that enjoys the Xs and Os part of what you’re asked to do.

“He’s a young man that loves the game. You can see it on film with his arm talent and ability to escape and make plays down the field. He has the athleticism to get out of trouble. Knowing the family, he’s wired the right way.”

Get excited, Browns fans.