Browns GM Andrew Berry, HC Todd Monken have one shot to get QB right

Cleveland’s football future now hinges on a single, high-stakes decision. With the 2025 NFL draft in the rear-view mirror and the 2026 offseason accelerating, general manager Andrew Berry and first-year head coach Todd Monken confront the same mandate: identify the quarterback who can end decades of frustration for a championship-starved franchise.

Berry’s résumé already carries the weight of the blockbuster Deshaun Watson acquisition—an unprecedented move whose authorship remains murky among owner Jimmy Haslam, former coach Kevin Stefanski, and Berry himself. Whatever the division of labor in that deal, the result has left the Browns with no margin for error. League insiders still regard the 37-year-old Berry as a rising executive, but another misstep under center would almost certainly trigger a regime change.

Monken, meanwhile, arrives in Cleveland with a decorated offensive mind and a ticking clock. At 60, he is unlikely to receive a second opportunity as an NFL head coach, placing extraordinary importance on the quarterback who will pilot his system. While Monken has shown a recent affinity for dual-threat passers, he has repeatedly emphasized adaptability, insisting he will tailor his scheme to the strengths of whoever wins the job.

The immediate question is whether rookie Shedeur Sanders offered enough flashes in Year 1 to buy the brain trust additional evaluation time. If Sanders convinces the building he can be “the guy,” Berry and Monken could postpone a major commitment until the perfect prospect surfaces. If not, the franchise faces the perilous choice of selecting the best available arm in the 2026 draft or free-agent pool—even if that player fails to fully captivate the decision-makers.

Neither Berry nor Monken has signaled a willingness to settle. History suggests they will wait for a quarterback who checks every box rather than force a marriage of convenience. Yet patience is a luxury rarely afforded in Cleveland, where wins—and a long-awaited Lombardi Trophy—remain the only acceptable currency.