3 Cleveland Browns Lineup Decisions Todd Monken Should Make in Week 1

While the NFL season is set to start this week, the Cleveland Browns still have several personnel decisions to make ahead of their Week 1 matchup versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.

From key starting roles to important backup spots, head coach Todd Monken has his work cut out for him just days before his team takes the field in a regular-season game.

Start Austin Barber at Right Guard

Austin Barber has been a standout for the Cleveland Browns during training camp and the preseason. Barber, a rookie tackle out of the University of Florida, moved to guard and earned the highest PFF grades among Browns players in the games in which he played the position.

What a performance from Austin Barber at RG. Clean day in pass sets with his anchor, technique, and awareness. Buried in the run game as well. This gets me excited. Watch him here pass off the stunt cleanly and then finish with a nasty snatch/trap. Whew. pic.twitter.com/pJotyQ6El0
— Browns Film Breakdown (@BrownsFilmBDN) August 23, 2026

While Barber is young and doesn’t need to be rushed into action, this Browns season should be all about playing and developing the young players on the roster. Barber has already shown enough upside to justify playing time.

Use KC Concepcion as the Primary Punt Returner

KC Concepcion saw limited action during the preseason but already established himself as a starter on the Browns’ roster. One area in which Concepcion shined during the preseason was as a punt returner. In Cleveland’s preseason opener against Chicago, Concepcion turned his first return opportunity into a 31-yard gain, immediately displaying the burst and decisiveness that make him the Browns’ most dangerous option at the position.

Against Jacksonville, Concepcion should be the primary punt returner for the Browns; after all, he does have the lofty goal of scoring three punt-return touchdowns:

KC Concepcion said his goal for the season is to have 3 or more TDs on punt return, via @ScottPetrak. pic.twitter.com/TCkkacE2qY
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) August 17, 2026

Make Shedeur Sanders the Game-Day Backup

Todd Monken held his regular pre-practice press conference with the Browns media on Labor Day and was asked about a special package or role for Browns quarterback Taylen Green:

"There could be a package where we have him...it's possible that we could use him." #Browns head coach Todd Monken on whether there could be a package of plays for rookie QB Taylen Green in the season opener pic.twitter.com/gXSfXOJNTf
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) September 7, 2026

In that clip, Monken suggests that Green could be the active backup quarterback for the Browns in their matchup against the Jaguars instead of Shedeur Sanders. Sanders would then be the emergency third quarterback, leaving him inactive unless both Watson and Green were unable to play.

Choosing Green over Sanders would be the wrong decision despite the intrigue of a Taylen Green package. Browns starter Deshaun Watson has a lengthy injury history, and Taylen Green is nowhere near ready to take extended snaps at quarterback in the NFL, leaving the Browns in a vulnerable position if Watson is forced to leave the game.

The Bottom Line

Expectations are low for the Browns entering the 2026 season. However, the youth of the roster provides a silver lining. The more the Browns focus on developing their young players and giving them meaningful opportunities, the more they can gain from this season. Making these three decisions would accomplish exactly that.

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