{"id":43900,"date":"2026-02-26T12:29:50","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T12:29:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43900"},"modified":"2026-02-26T12:29:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T12:29:50","slug":"browns-todd-monken-reveals-ties-to-top-qb-draft-prospect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43900","title":{"rendered":"Browns&#8217; Todd Monken Reveals Ties to Top QB Draft Prospect"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2254292381-e1772106650413.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2254292381-e1772106650413.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2254292381-e1772106650413.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2254292381-e1772106650413.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Browns' Todd Monken Reveals Ties to Top QB Draft Prospect\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>We are now in the heart of NFL draft combine week, and while much of the league\u2019s focus has turned to free-agency and trade rumors, we\u2019ll also start getting closer looks in the next few days at which prospects make an impact on their stock in the draft, for better or for worse. But for Cleveland Browns fans, they\u2019re also getting more and more of an introduction to gravelly-voiced head coach Todd Monken, who certainly appears more willing to shoot from the hip than his tight-lipped predecessor, Kevin Stefanski, was.<\/p>\n<p>And while meeting with reporters in a scrum after his time at the combine podium on Wednesday, Monken raised some eyebrows by revealing that he is very familiar with Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.<\/p>\n<p>It just so happens that Simpson is gaining steam as the No. 2 quarterback on the board behind presumed top overall pick Fernando Mendoza. Simpson led the SEC last year in pass attempts (473) and completions (305), throwing for 237.8 yards per game with 28 touchdowns and just five interceptions.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Browns\u2019 Todd Monken Recruited Ty Simpson<\/h2>\n<p>As will happen throughout the draft process this season, Monken has pretty extensive knowledge of Simpson. That\u2019s because, long before he got the new job as the Browns head coach, he was the offensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs in college, and helped with recruiting offensive players, especially quarterbacks. He got to know Simpson and his family well.<\/p>\n<p>Monken was asked about Simpson, whom the Browns could potentially take at No. 6 or at No. 24, depending on how long he lasts on the board. He said he admired the fact that Simpson waited his turn behind former Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen he was coming out, when I first got to Georgia, they hadn\u2019t offered him. But I went up there and talked to his dad\u2014in fact, his dad, Jason, is a Southern Miss alum and I was head coach at Southern Miss. I got to know them really well,\u201d Monken said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReally fond of Ty. Obviously, really good football player. Fired up for him, because in today\u2019s day and age, for him to stay as long as he did and then get a chance to be the starting quarterback at Alabama is pretty cool, that is really cool for him to live out his dream at the school he chose, three or four years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Browns Could Have Opportunities to Add a Quarterback<\/h2>\n<p>There are a number of possible ways that the Browns could land Simpson, or another quarterback. If he establishes himself as the clear QB2 in this draft, it\u2019s possible he could move up into the first round as a late surprise riser, the way Jaxson Dart did last season. That could put him on the Browns\u2019 radar at No. 24.<\/p>\n<p>There has been talk that Simpson could be viable at No. 6, though given his scouting report\u2013average arm talent, limited starting experience, lack of playmaking mobility\u2013that is a stretch. The Browns have No. 39 overall in the second round, and that might be a comfortable spot in which to gamble on Simpson.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Ty Simpson Will Need Development Time<\/h2>\n<p>One of the chief concerns about Simpson, for the Browns or anyone, will be his lack of polish. He spent four years at Alabama but did not get the starting job until this past season, so he lacks the reps most teams would like to see from a first-round pick.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, he is not a Day One starter for an NFL team. He will need time to develop.<\/p>\n<p>As Pro Football Focus wrote in its summary of Simpson: \u201cSimpson is a guy that could\u2019ve really used another year of starts under his belt in college to improve upon some of his decision-making and get a better feel in the pocket. Far too often, we see inexperienced quarterbacks thrust into the NFL to try and learn on the fly. If Simpson is really given time to learn and develop, I can see him turning into a solid starter at the NFL level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Browns head coach Todd Monken needs a quarterback, and it so happens he once recruited Ty Simpson, arguably the No. 2 QB in the 2026 draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cleveland-browns"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Browns&#039; Todd Monken Reveals Ties to Top QB Draft Prospect - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=43900\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Browns&#039; 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