Shedeur Sanders's future as the Browns' QB1 continues to face uncertainty. Cleveland's new head coach, Todd Monken, has now praised a potential 2026 draft prospect for the same position.

At the 2026 NFL Combine, a reporter asked the Browns head coach about TY Simpson. He is the same draft prospect that a section of fans believes will replace Sanders. Monken's comment just strengthened that prediction.

"When he was coming out, when I first got to Georgia, they hadn't offered him, and I went up there and talked to his dad. In fact, his dad Jason is a Southern Miss alum, and I was head coach at Southern Miss, so got to know them really well," Monken on a clip Mary Kay Cabot posted on X.

Monken was the head football coach at the University of Southern Mississippi from 2013 through 2015. Jason Simpson (Ty’s dad) had played baseball at Southern Miss and also football at Mississippi State before becoming a coach.

So when Monken moved to the University of Georgia in January 2020 (as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach), he talked with Simpson’s family about recruiting him. This familiarity could lead him to push for Simpson in the 2026 NFL draft.

"Really fond of Ty, obviously, really good football player. Fired up for him, cuz in today's day and age, for him to stay as long as he did at Alabama, and then get a chance to be the starting quarterback, is pretty cool. And that is really cool, for him to live out his dream at the school he chose."

Ty Simpson enrolled early at the University of Alabama in January 2022 and then redshirted his freshman year. He then spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons primarily as a backup behind Bryce Young and, later, Jalen Milroe.

Entering the 2025 season, Simpson won the starting quarterback job and recorded 305 of 473 passes for 3,567 yards with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions. He led Alabama to an 11-4 record and a College Football Playoff quarterfinal appearance.

Mock Drafts Link Ty Simpson to the Browns

Sanders threw for 1,400 yards with 7 TDs and 10 INTs as a rookie in 2025. And the Browns have not yet confirmed who will be the Week 1 starter in 2026.

Mock draft scenarios have linked Simpson to the Browns as one of the quarterback options they could target in the 2026 NFL Draft. According to Cleveland insider Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns’ front are monitoring Ty Simpson ahead of the draft.

In one of her reports, she said, "The Browns will consider him at No. 6, or even at No. 24 or No. 39 if he lasts that long."

Do you think Ty Simpson is the perfect replacement for Shedeur Sanders?

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Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi