Head Coach Todd Monken is overhauling the culture in Cleveland. The new leadership is enforcing a ruthless standard during spring sessions. This shift aims to eliminate the unforced errors that crippled the roster last season.

Under Stefanski, Cleveland was an absolute mess when it came to unforced errors. Last season, the Browns actually ranked as the most penalized team in the entire NFL for false starts. They also ranked ninth-worst for delay of game penalties, as per Ernesto Cova of Dawg Pound Daily.

To stop this bleeding, Monken is enforcing ruthless accountability during spring practices.

Newly signed left guard Zion Johnson recently shed some light on the intensity of these sessions. Johnson explained exactly how Monken is handling offensive practice mistakes right now.

“He's really emphasized that if we have a penalty out there, we're reloading the play. If you're false-starting, you're coming out, so it really forces that accountability onto you where it's like, ‘Okay, I'm coming out today,'" Zion Johnson told ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi.

Under Stefanski, players often stayed on the field after mistakes. Now, Monken instantly benches them for backups if they jump. This brings accountability into the roster, something that wasn't strict enough under Stefanski.

Todd Monken is Forcing Detailed Accountability

This shift aligns with Monken’s coaching history. Earlier this offseason, the Browns' head coach made his standards crystal clear.

"As much as I love winning and I hate losing, I despise crappy football," Monken flat-out stated to the media. "You look dumb as a coach when you put bad football on the field."

Todd Monken has even brought in real NFL referees to throw flags during these OTA drills. He is calling out everything. When the offense threw a few interceptions during recent 7-on-7 drills, Monken publicly labeled the performance "embarrassing" since there wasn't even a pass rush happening.

Not even the rookies are allowed to have their own time to ease into the setup. "The idea is to kind of ease them in as they’re learning... You’d love to ease them in." Monken stated when asked about integrating the new rookie class. "But eventually the easing has to end.”

The Browns are being pushed hard now to avoid sloppy Sundays later. And Todd Monken is bringing that change more than ever. The effectiveness of these changes will be tested during the 2026 preseason.

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Written by

Nisarga Aseem Barkule

Edited by

Rudra Dubey