Todd Monken’s Admission About Myles Garrett Could Be an Issue for Browns

Cleveland's new head coach shocked a few by admitting he hasn't had a face-to-face with the franchise's most important player.

Coach Todd Monken watches different groups practice at the Browns mini camp in Berea on April 21, 2026. | Lisa Scalfaro / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

At a time when the Cleveland Browns’ open quarterback competition should be getting all the attention during the OTA phase of the offseason, another unlikely storyline has emerged as a contender.

Head coach Todd Monken was asked during his press conference if he had already met face-to-face with All-world defensive end Myles Garrett. 

His response shocked many: “Myles? No,” replied the first-year head coach. 

"No." #Browns head coach Todd Monken on whether he's had any face-to-face interaction with DE Myles Garrett, yet pic.twitter.com/XWoPMIISnU

— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) May 21, 2026

Monken has been on the job for almost four full months. His interactions with quarterback Shedeur Sanders have been well documented over this time. 

Why hasn’t he met with the single most important player on his defense, especially when Garrett has been so visible on social media?

Is it a big deal that Todd Monken hasn’t met face-to-face with Myles Garrett yet?

It shouldn’t be at this point of the voluntary workouts, but it kind of is. 

Let me explain. 

It’s no secret that Garrett and a number of Browns’ players threw their support behind former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz getting the head coach gig after Kevin Stefanski was dismissed. Monken knows this.

It’s also no secret that Garrett has been mentioned frequently around league circles as a probable trade target, and that the team has done little in squashing those rumors over the last few months, especially after the team restructured his recently signed deal in a way that seems to facilitate a trade, without any other practical benefit for the player or team. 

Why anyone would want to trade away the league’s most dominant player at any position, coming off an NFL single-season sack record, a year away from making him history’s best paid defensive player is incomprehensible, but these are the Browns we’re talking about. 

Even as general manager Andrew Berry has stated that Garrett is a “career Brown,” actions don’t seem to match words. 

Even without all of the above, as an incoming head coach with no prior experience at the position, meeting with your most important and influential players in the locker rooms would seem like a big deal. Apparently, it hasn’t been for Monken. 

Monken tried to downplay the whole thing.

"Hasn't been a lot. This is voluntary," the coach said, according to Browns Insider Mary Kay Cabot. "We're making a big deal out of this. We really are. It's voluntary. We have other guys besides Myles that aren't here. I wish they were here. They'll be ready. We expect them to be ready and we'll be fired up when they're here." 

The truth of the matter is that it’s only a big deal because the Browns allow it. Garrett’s absence at OTAs shouldn’t be an issue. This isn’t about his ability to get ready for the season. It’s about how the Browns’ new head coach is choosing to handle his relationship with a key component and leader of his team. Building team culture is hard this way.

With the team’s mandatory minicamp coming up June 9-11 at Berea’s CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, and with a potentially heavy fine on the horizon, all eyes will be on Garrett and his interactions with Monken. Any minimal gesture on either part could fan the fire, and trade rumors will run rampant once again.