INDIANAPOLIS — Ty Simpson wants to be a Cleveland Brown. His father knows Todd Monken personally and would be thrilled to see his son in the system. Simpson himself has met with the team, made his case at the combine and walked away confident he could thrive in Cleveland.
So why is the most likely answer still “probably not?”
That uncomfortable question sat at the center of one of the sharpest exchanges on the latest episode of Orange and Brown Talk, recorded at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Host Dan Labbe and Browns beat reporters Mary Kay Cabot and Ashley Bastock spent significant time unpacking the Ty Simpson situation, and what they found is a story where enthusiasm, personal connection and genuine talent all collide with cold, hard draft economics.
The personal backstory is compelling on its own. Cabot had a one-on-one conversation with Simpson at the Combine and revealed the depth of the family relationship with the Browns’ offensive coordinator:
“He said that his dad would be over the moon excited if Ty Simpson landed in Cleveland and he knows he would be in really good hands,” she said. “And he cited (Monken’s) work with Lamar Jackson and just his ability to develop quarterbacks knows he would be in great hands.”
Simpson’s father Jason, the head coach at UT Martin, played at Southern Miss, where Monken coached. The two men have stayed close ever since. This isn’t a manufactured combine talking point. It’s a genuine relationship. And it makes Simpson’s desire to play in Cleveland feel real.
But the NFL Draft isn’t a feel-good story. It’s a business. And the moment you start talking about where Ty Simpson might actually be selected, the math stops being friendly to Cleveland.
Labbe walked through the precise bind the Browns find themselves in, recounting a conversation in the combine hallways that cut right to the heart of the dilemma:
“How far would Ty Simpson have to fall for the Browns to take him?” he asked. “And I just kind of flippantly said 24. And that still might be too high.”
Simpson is widely regarded as the second-best quarterback in this draft class, behind Fernando Mendoza. His camp entered the process expecting a first-round grade, and he said as much himself at the Combine. If he goes in the top 20 picks, as most projections currently suggest, the Browns may be out of the conversation entirely before it even starts.
And then there’s the obstacle that nobody can ignore: Shedeur Sanders.
Cleveland didn’t just acquire Sanders, they traded up in the fifth round to get him, then handed him seven starts in his rookie year. That’s not the behavior of a franchise ready to move on. Cabot laid out the central question the front office will be wrestling with all spring:
“I just look at the Cleveland Browns right now and I see that they have Shedeur, they started him for seven games. And I just don’t know if Ty is enough to overtake Shedeur right now.”
That’s the wall. And Labbe made clear why crossing it in the first round would demand an extraordinary level of certainty, a level the Browns simply don’t appear to have reached yet:
“You take Ty Simpson in the first round, he’s got to be your starting quarterback and he’s got to be your starter for a long time,” he said. “So I think that’s why they might not reach.
Bastock added another layer: this is a front office that has never reached beyond where it values a player. The Shedeur Sanders pick was a fifth-round pick because the value was undeniable at that point. They’re not going to rewrite that philosophy for a player whose stock has them in a gray area.
The Browns aren’t ready to make a declaration about Sanders. And until they are, the Ty Simpson story, however real the connection, however bright the talent, stays a fascinating subplot rather than the headline.
For the full combine breakdown of Ty Simpson, including why Bastock thinks his loyalty to Alabama actually resonates with a coach like Monken, don’t miss this week’s episode of Orange and Brown Talk. Available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Cleveland.com.
Here’s the latest podcast:
