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Todd Monken Tells Shedeur Sanders ‘We Tried to Draft You,’ Fueling QB Signal for Browns

A team video of their first meeting underscored the new coach’s enthusiasm for the second-year quarterback.

Overview

  • In a clip posted by the Browns, new head coach Todd Monken greeted Shedeur Sanders by saying the Ravens tried to draft him last year, a moment widely interpreted as early confidence in the young passer.
  • Multiple reports have detailed that Baltimore eyed Sanders in the fifth round in 2025 before he indicated he did not want to sit behind Lamar Jackson, and Cleveland selected him at No. 144.
  • General manager Andrew Berry has said the team will evaluate the quarterback market rather than commit to a starter, with Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel currently on the roster and two first-round picks (Nos. 6 and 24) available.
  • Monken is moving to assemble his staff, with reports identifying Ravens run-game coordinator Travis Switzer as a frontrunner or target for offensive coordinator and veteran coach George Warhop to oversee the offensive line.
  • Reaction to Monken’s first message and the hire has been mixed, with criticism from some analysts including Emmanuel Acho and locker-room praise for Sanders’ character from defensive tackle Shelby Harris; Sanders’ 2025 line was 56.6% passing for 1,400 yards, 7 TDs and 10 INTs with a Pro Bowl nod as a replacement.