Browns HC Todd Monken Not Interested In QB Brendan Sorsby; Latest On Team’s QB Competition
Browns head coach Todd Monken is not tipping his hand when it comes to his team’s starting quarterback competition. While the media currently views Deshaun Watson as the favorite to open the season under center, second-year passer Shedeur Sanders remains in the mix and has impressed Monken with his progress in the mental side of the game.
Following the Browns’ eighth OTA session on Wednesday, Monken said (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com), “[e]very day I kind of lean one way or the other with quarterbacks. But we’ve still got to get to that point. Who’s going to start for us? But I’m fired up by the quarterbacks. I just tell you, we’ve got two starting-level quarterbacks. We really do.”
Monken’s public remarks notwithstanding, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler continues to believe Watson has the inside track on the QB1 gig (video link). In addition to the advantage Watson has in terms of experience, Watson himself believes Monken’s offense – which includes some Air Raid concepts and offers the freedom to improvise out of the pocket – is a strong fit for his skill set. That said, Fowler says Sanders has flashed this spring and that Watson has not won the job just yet.
Regardless of the outcome of the Watson v. Sanders contest, Cleveland may still be in search of a high-end quarterback next year (which is presumably one of the reasons why the team recently cashed in their top asset in Myles Garrett for a bounty of draft capital). On paper, therefore, the Browns profile as a team that could take a flier on Brendan Sorsby, whose gambling infractions have led the NCAA to revoke his collegiate eligibility and who could be forced into the NFL’s supplemental draft as a result.
Monken, however, seems to want no part of Sorsby, although he made it clear his opinion in that regard is his own and not that of general manager Andrew Berry or other members of team brass.
“That’s not even come across my desk,” Monken said (video link via Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan). “I like the quarterbacks that we have. I think that’s a slippery slope, when you go down that [road]. Irrespective of talent, in terms of the situation [Sorsby’s] put himself in, we all know what that is. He put himself in that situation. And we’ve seen in other sports with players that have been banned for life from playing in professional sports.”
“Again, that’s a question for [Berry] and for management,” Monken added. “But from my end of it, kind of a tough angle to go down that road and think that’s going to be your franchise quarterback, if he’s ever eligible to even play in the NFL.”
Berry himself was non-committal. When asked about the prospect of adding Sorsby, the GM simply said, “we’ll do work on all the prospects and then make the appropriate decision” (via Zac Jackson of The Athletic).
Sorsby impressed in his second year as Cincinnati’s starter in 2025 and landed a $6MM NIL deal to join Texas Tech in 2026. A successful year in Lubbock could have earned him a first-round grade in the 2027 draft, but at the moment, it appears the supplemental draft is his only viable path to the pros.
Sorsby will have to apply for the supplemental draft by June 22. The NFL will review his situation – extensive sports betting during his college career and subsequent treatment for a gambling addiction – and decide if he can enter.
Browns’ 3% Sale To Private Equity Firm Approved
In August of 2024, NFL owners voted to permit private equity firms to purchase up to 10-percent stake in NFL teams with a minimum purchase of at least three percent for each stake. Back in May of this year, at the Orlando owners meeting, a vote was passed to approve the Browns’ sale of three percent of the team to Arctos Partners, LP, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Arctos, based out of Dallas, is one of only a few private equity firms permitted by the league to purchase a stake in NFL teams, alongside “Ares Management Corporation, Sixth Street, and a consortium group including Blackstone, Carlyle, CVC, Dynasty Equity, and Ludis, led by Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin.”
The firms are able to hold stake in up to six teams but won’t hold voting power in any of them. Arctos owns eight percent of the Chargers and 10 percent of the Bills, along with minority stakes in the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Golden State Warriors.
According to Forbes magazine, the Browns hold the 18th-highest valuation in the NFL and 28th-highest of all sports franchises in the world. The publication valued the team at $6.4 billion, meaning Arctos’ stake should be worth $190MM. The team’s value recently saw a boost after the team committed another $200MM to their new plans for a $2.6 billion indoor stadium that broke ground in Brook Park at the end of April and is set to open in 2029.
The Haslam Sports Group originally committed to a $1.2 billion contribution which would have represented half of the proposed budget at the time of $2.4 billion. After initially upping only their contribution, the latest $200MM influx is intended to increase both the percentage of contribution to 67.5 percent and the budget for the project to $2.6 billion.
AFC Staff Changes: Titans, Dolphins, Browns
The Titans have made a few more additions to their front office, per a team announcement.
Daryl Nelson has come aboard as the senior director of player development and performance integration. From 2023 to 2025, he served as the Raiders’ director of team growth and development, per his LinkedIn. He previously worked for the Patriots from 2016 to 2023 with five years in the athletic training department and one as New England’s director of organizational development.
Nelson’s new role will involve coordinating between the Titans’ coaching, analytics, and athletic training departments to advance the development of their young roster. His background as a trainer will obviously contribute to this effort. In Las Vegas, he also prioritized players’ off-field education and overall well-being.
The Titans also hired Kwame Agyei-Minta and Jacob Reeves as scouting assistants. Agyei-Minta has worked for the University of South Carolina since 2023, primarily as a player personnel and recruiting assistant with a promotion to assistant director of scouting earlier this year (via LinkedIn). Reeves, a former defensive lineman at Southeastern University, was formerly an intern with the Falcons and the NFL’s BLESTO scouting service. His most recent role was as the assistant director of college personnel at the University of Florida, a position he held for the last three years.
Here is the latest from the AFC staffing ranks:
- Tennessee is also expecting the eventual departure of assistant special teams coach Rayna Stewart. Special teams coordinator John Fassell said (via Main Street Media’s Terry McCormick) that he fought to keep Stewart amid the Titans’ coaching changes this offseason but believes he should get a chance at his own coordinator job in the near future.
- The Dolphins have hired former Rice University intern Savan Patel as a football analytics staff assistant, per Neal Stratton of InsideTheLeague. Patel worked in video operations, recruiting, and scouting at Rice dating back to 2022 and also interned with the MLB’s Houston Astros in 2025.
- The Browns are promoting Josh Meyer from scouting assistant to West Coast area scout, according to Stratton. Meyer previously worked in personnel and recruiting at the University of Michigan.
- Cleveland also promoted Kathleen Wood to scouting assessment and development advisor (via Stratton). She has held a similar role since 2024; for four years before that, she was an Northeast area scout. Wood also has past experience with the Dolphins, Bills, and Eagles.
Browns Expected To Retain Denzel Ward
JUNE 6: When speaking to the media on Saturday, Ward confirmed (via Fowler’s colleague Daniel Oyefusi) he wants to remain in place with the Browns. Despite the fact he is no longer teammates with Garrett for the first time in his NFL career, Ward can be expected to stay in Cleveland for a ninth season.
JUNE 1: The Browns agreed to trade longtime face of the franchise Myles Garrett in a stunning blockbuster with the Rams on Monday. It is unlikely the Garrett trade will start a fire sale in Cleveland, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Veteran cornerback Denzel Ward is one player who is expected to stay put, Fowler reports.
Considering Ward’s relationship with Garrett, it will be interesting to hear his opinion on the trade (if he offers one publicly). Back when Garrett asked out of Cleveland in February 2025, Ward said: “[The request] has a huge impact, honestly. I want to play with Myles Garrett.”
Ward got his wish for 2025 after Garrett quickly backed off his trade request to sign a contract extension. The pact could have kept Garrett in a Browns uniform through 2030, but the rebuilding club will now replace the future Hall of Famer with Jared Verse and add significant draft capital in the process.
There is an obvious drop-off from Garrett to Verse, which is certainly not a knock on the latter. In his two seasons in the NFL, Verse has collected Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and a pair of Pro Bowl nods. The budding star should give the Browns a productive defender who is five years younger than Garrett and much less expensive. So, while Ward may prefer to play with Garrett, Verse is no slouch.
Like Garrett and Verse, Ward has enjoyed a decorated career. Since the Browns took Ward fourth overall in 2018,, the Ohio native and former Ohio State Buckeye has gone to five Pro Bowls. Despite intercepting a career-low one pass over 15 games in 2025, he earned Pro Bowl honors for the third straight season. The 29-year-old has started 107 of 110 games as a Brown, deflected 104 passes and picked off 18. If he remains in Cleveland for a ninth year in 2026, Ward will continue to start opposite Tyson Campbell.
Contractually, Ward is under wraps through 2027 on the five-year, $100.5MM extension he signed in 2022. The Browns restructured it earlier in the offseason to reduce Ward’s cap hit by $2MM, but he is still due to count $30.89MM this year. While dealing Ward would save the Browns $17.43MM in spending space this season, they would take on $13.46MM in dead money and another $18.69MM in ’27. The Browns are already set to spread $40MM-plus in dead cap from the Garrett trade over the next two years. They will also incur a combined $86.2MM charge from 2027-28 if they designate quarterback Deshaun Watson a post-June 1 release next offseason.
Myles Garrett Trade Fallout: Rams, Eagles, Carter, Browns, Verse, McCoy
The trade that sent longtime Browns defensive end Myles Garrett to the Super Bowl-hopeful Rams was a long time in the making — two months and four days, to be exact. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, that’s how long it took for negotiations between Rams general manager Les Snead and his Browns counterpart, Andrew Berry, to conclude.
This wasn’t the first time the Rams had sent an offer to Cleveland; it wasn’t even the second. Los Angeles went shopping for pass rushers around the trade deadline in 2022 and, among offers to several other teams, offered two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder for Garrett, though Berry has no interest in trading him at the time. Then, following this past season, Snead called the Browns in late March and upped the offer.
The offer purely comprising of draft capital was not going to be enough, as Cleveland made clear following the draft that Rams defensive end Jared Verse would have to be a part of any trade, but it demonstrated how serious Los Angeles was about getting a deal done.
Over the long course of these negotiations, Berry made sure to keep Garrett in the loop. Per Breer, Garrett wasn’t the only one hearing from Berry. The seventh-year GM reportedly reached out to three well-known personnel executives in other sports. St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti, and Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas were trusted for advice and expertise, especially given Bloom and Presti’s trade experience in their respective sports. The trio’s input led to the team’s insistence on getting a player — not just draft picks — in the return-side of the trade.
Before ultimately agreeing to the final terms, Jimmy Haslam and his family hosted Berry and Garrett for one last meeting to reminisce and make sure Garrett was good with how things were concluding. Garrett’s contract included a no-trade clause, so his go-ahead was a crucial part of the deal, and according to ESPN’s Sarah Barshop, it was a decision Garrett needed to “sleep on” before finally waiving the no-trade clause.
In the immediate fallout of the trade, some rumors emerged that the Eagles had been a team that expressed interest in trading for Garrett and that defensive tackle Jalen Carter was a potential trade target for Cleveland. Negating that notion, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported this week that Philadelphia “never made a play” for Garrett and that “there’s zero chance they would’ve wanted (Carter) in return.”
The player the Browns did want, Verse, also had some negative feelings about being traded, not towards his new team but in regard to leaving his home of the past two seasons. After the Rams drafted Verse at No. 19 overall in 2024, Verse rewarded them with two Pro Bowl campaigns to go along with his own Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
In his introductory news conference in Cleveland (via Andy Backstrom of Yahoo Sports), Verse told the media, “I loved LA. I loved the coaches, the organization, my teammates, everybody a part of it, the fans — I loved the whole vibe of LA, the Los Angeles Rams, and it was upsetting. I was upset for a good little bit of time.”
The last tidbit of information relayed by Breer pertains to a different trade the team performed in the offseason. Los Angeles traded its second first-round pick in this past year’s draft, the 29th overall pick, to Kansas City in a package of picks that landed them Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie in return. Per Breer, the Rams had interest in Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy at the end of the first round, but when his draft stock plummeted for medical reasons, the team pivoted and made the move for McDuffie. McDuffie and Garrett now stand as two gigantic additions to a team looking to make the most of veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford‘s last few good years.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/4/26
Several NFL teams made minor transactions on Thursday. Here’s a look…
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DE Benton Whitley
Houston Texans
- Signed: TE Louie Hansen
- Waived: WR Jalen Walthall
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: OL Chad Lindberg, OLB Eddie Walls
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Michael Briscoe, WR Trayvon Rudolph
- Waived: WR Joaquin Davis
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Gee Scott
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Jamin Davis
- Waived: TE Chamon Metayer
Out of the 11 players listed above, Davis is the only one with a first-round pedigree. Washington took the former Kentucky Wildcat 19th overall in 2021, but his stock has plummeted during his five-year career. As a member of the Commanders for three-plus seasons, he totaled 282 tackles and seven sacks over 50 games (36 starts).
The Commanders experimented with Davis at defensive end in 2024, but it didn’t work out to their liking. They waived Davis in late October that year, and he has since gone to short stints with the Packers, Vikings, Jets and Raiders. The 27-year-old got into two games with the Raiders last season and made three tackles. Davis is now reuniting with Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who held the same position in Las Vegas in 2025.
Jim Schwartz Addresses Browns Departure
Shortly after the Browns fired Kevin Stefanski, it became clear Jim Schwartz was interested in replacing him as head coach. The veteran defensive coordinator was among the candidates to conduct a second interview with Cleveland.
Schwartz seemed to be in the lead regarding the Browns’ HC search at points during the process, and the team’s preference was to keep him in the organization in one capacity or another. In the end, though, Todd Monken wound up being hired as the new head coach. The former Ravens OC’s arrival led to Schwartz eyeing a departure, and he resigned in early February.
“Anybody that’s in any business, you get passed over for promotion when you’ve done a really, really good job in your job, and you think you were in line for that promotion, it’s time to go,” Schwartz said when reflecting on his decision during an appearance on the “Ryan Ripken Show” (h/t Matt Moret of The Athletic). “I mean, a forced marriage isn’t going to work in the NFL… And I didn’t feel like I could do my job after getting passed over for the head coaching job.”
Upon arrival in Cleveland, Monken was noncommittal on the topic of retaining Schwartz. The veteran defensive mind had been in place with the Browns since 2023. Cleveland posted a top-four finish in points allowed twice in that span, but that was not enough for Schwartz to get the nod for what would have been a second NFL head coaching opportunity. The 60-year-old is set to spend 2026 out of coaching before a potential return elsewhere next season.
Schwartz added it “wouldn’t have been good” for himself or Monken to have him remain in place for the coming campaign. The possibility of split loyalties to the head coach and defensive coordinator among players was mentioned by Schwartz as something worth avoiding when speaking about his decision. His presence (and now absence) certainty had an impact, as Schwartz’s resignation was a factor in Myles Garrett‘s decision to waive his no-trade clause and facilitate his recent move to the Rams.
Monken wound up hiring former Falcons defensive pass-game coordinator Mike Rutenberg for the DC position. 2026 will mark his first stint as a coordinator at the college or NFL levels, and he will be tasked with maintaining a high level of play leading a defense which no longer has Garrett in the fold. When it comes to the 2027 hiring cycle, meanwhile, it will be interesting to see how strong Schwartz’s market winds up being.
Browns Trade Myles Garrett To Rams
JUNE 3: The third-rounder in 2029 is conditional, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. It will turn into a first-rounder if the Rams trade Garrett to a team in the Browns’ division, the AFC North.
JUNE 1, 11:20pm: Both teams have announced the trade. It is indeed Garrett for Verse, a 2027 first-rounder, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder.
12:23pm: Myles Garrett‘s time in Cleveland is coming to an end. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year is being traded from the Browns to the Rams, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero and ESPN’s Adam Schefter report.
The full trade terms, per Schefter, consist of Garrett being traded for Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a second-round selection in 2028 and a 2029 third-rounder. This swap is not official yet, as Browns GM Andrew Berry confirms (video link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). Once it is processed, though, it will no doubt go down as a seminal moment for both franchises.
[RELATED: Fallout From Browns-Rams Blockbuster]
Schefter reports Garrett has chosen to waive his no-trade clause to allow for this deal to take place. He will retain that clause upon arrival in Los Angeles. As Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports notes, today’s stunning swap represents the first time in history a reigning Defensive Play of the Year has been dealt.
Garrett has been the subject of trade speculation since he requested to be dealt last spring. That request was rescinded when a then-record extension was worked out. The seven-time Pro Bowler seemed to be in position to remain with Cleveland for years to come, but questions continued to be raised after the 2025 campaign saw him add further to his long list of accolades without any accompanying team success. Indeed, whispers about a trade lingered through the 2026 offseason.
In March, the Browns restructured Garrett’s contract in a way which did not add any new money or years to the pact. Nevertheless, the payment dates for his option bonuses were pushed back to one week before the start of the regular season. That move extended the window of opportunity for a trade – something Cleveland has denied would be taking place on multiple occasions – to be worked out.
June 1 is always a key checkpoint on the NFL calendar, and it was recently labeled the time after which a Garrett trade could occur. Just like the case of A.J. Brown, a deal formally being worked out any time after 3:00pm this afternoon will greatly impact the salary cap implications of the deal. Proceeding with this trade in a post-June 1 fashion will generate $8.34MM in cap savings for Cleveland with a $41MM dead money charge being spread out (and accounting for $15.53MM in 2026). Garrett’s contract runs through 2030.
Per Rapoport (video link), the Rams engaged in trade talks with the Browns shortly after the contract adjustment was made. Their efforts continued through the draft, with Cleveland remaining steadfast in rejecting offers. Things changed when Los Angeles general manager Les Snead offered to include Verse in the deal, though. Negotiations on an adjusted package of picks have now resulted in an agreement. Per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Rams informed Verse of the news earlier today.
Garrett has made clear his intention of playing on a contending team particularly toward the latter stages of his career. This blockbuster trade will help in that regard; the Rams fell just short of a Super Bowl appearance in 2025 and have made other win-now moves on defense since then. Garrett will join cornerback Trent McDuffie as a new face tasked with elevating Los Angeles’ defense while the teams seeks out another high-end campaign from quarterback Matthew Stafford and Co. on offense.
The Rams were a strong Brown suitor, but Breer notes their inability to acquire him helped set up this Garrett push. Another lucrative pact – one which averages $40MM per year – is now on the books, but Los Angeles will have a future Hall of Famer leading the way along a defensive front which was already among the league’s best. This acquisition will further deprive the Rams of draft capital (which was critical in establishing the post-Aaron Donald core on defense); then again, Snead’s stance when it comes to picks is rather well known.
Verse, whom Schefter notes was born in Dayton, Ohio, has enjoyed a strong start to his career. The 2024 first-rounder took home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors while thriving in a full-time starting role. Last season, the 25-year-old collected a second Pro Bowl nod in as many years while posting 7.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. His rookie contract runs through 2028, and Cleveland could keep him in place for a longer period via the fifth-year option.
Since Verse is five years younger than Garrett, he will align better with the roster reset Berry is overseeing. The 2025 class offered promising early results with respect to a new core emerging for Cleveland. The fate of the quarterback position beyond 2026 is unclear, but additional capital should help yield options on that front or at least provide upgrades at other spots.
In a series of remarks which have proved to provide noteworthy foreshadowing, new Browns head coach Todd Monken said earlier on Monday (video link via Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan) he was not given any assurances upon being hired about Garrett remaining with the team. Instead of having the single-season sack record holder in the fold for his first year leading an NFL team, Monken will be tasked with integrating Verse and developing the group of younger players brought in via Cleveland’s haul of draft picks.
Rams Pursued Myles Garrett In 2022; Multiple Teams Submitted Offers For Browns DE In 2026
The Rams traded for Myles Garrett in a blockbuster deal with the Browns on Monday, but this was not the first time they attempted to acquire the All-Pro pass rusher.
Los Angeles’ pursuit of Garrett dates back to 2022, per Jourdan Rodrigue and Zac Jackson of The Athletic, when they were looking to reload and chase back-to-back Super Bowls. The Browns were not interested in moving Garrett then, nor had he made any effort to leave Cleveland.
[RELATED: Rams Give Browns Chance To Capitalize On Sell-High Opportunity]
The Rams, who also sent the Panthers an offer of two first-rounders and a third for Brian Burns, considered trading for Garrett again the next year but instead opted for a soft reset year as they developed their young talent. The Rams re-engaged after the Browns adjusted Garrett’s contract earlier this offseason. General manager Andrew Berry insisted the alterations were unrelated to a potential trade, but he protested too much.
Multiple teams submitted offers for Garrett, with the Rams emerging as the most persistent suitor, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Their package – first-, second-, and third-round picks plus 2024 first-round edge rusher Jared Verse – was too good to pass up. (The third-rounder, slated for the 2029 draft, is conditional, according to Howard Balzer of Cardswire.)
“No regrets,” Berry said (via Jackson). “Why now? The opportunity was too great.” Unlike last year, he added, Garrett did not request a move out of Cleveland.
The opportunity Berry speaks of is twofold. First is getting a young, cost-controlled edge rusher whose advanced metrics outpace his traditional production, something that was likely especially appealing to the Browns’ analytically-minded front office. Verse cannot replace Garrett – no player can – but he will still ensure high-quality play off the edge that no one else on Cleveland’s roster could replicate.
Second, and more importantly for the Browns, is adding draft capital that will help them land their desired quarterback prospect in 2027. Cleveland has been stuck in a black hole at the position for years; its annual search for a starter is practically a running joke around the NFL. Garrett should still have years of high-level play left in him, but at 30 years old, he is an imperfect fit for the Browns’ timeline, which is centered around strong draft classes in the last two years and finding a franchise QB next year.
Negotiations between the Rams and the Browns took off this spring with both teams growing confident in a deal by April’s draft. That was part of the calculus in Los Angeles’ surprising first-round selection of Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. Solidifying the future of the position allowed the Rams to sacrifice future draft picks that could have otherwise been spent on a different Matthew Stafford successor. Locking down a cost-controlled QB on a rookie deal will also ease the financial strain of absorbing Garrett’s contract along with Trent McDuffie‘s extension and potential long-term deals with players like Puka Nacua, Byron Young, Kobie Turner, and Braden Fiske.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/2/26
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on reserve/retired list: LB Markees Watts
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT Derrick Graham
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: DL Jalen Logan-Redding
New York Jets
- Reverted to IR: LB Kobe King
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: S Makari Paige