Browns' Todd Monken Has Hope for Steelers' T.J. Watt: 'Retire'

Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken is tired of facing the Pittsburgh Steelers' veteran defensive stars.

When asked about Watt ahead of a Week 4 Thursday Night Football showdown against the Steelers, Monken joked that he believes it's time for him, as well as Cam Heyward and others, to retire.

“I think it’s about time that he retires … and Heyward and all those guys,” Monken said. “Credit to those guys. How long they’ve done it, at the level they’ve done it. It’s been tough to go against.

"Those elite players are challenging, like every week in the NFL, but those guys along with the other guys they have in their front-seven and in the back. Credit to him, he's doing it like I've always seen him do it."

Dec 19, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward (97) and outside linebacker T.J. Watt (90) celebrate after a fumble recovery by Watt against the Tennessee Titans during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 19-13. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Monken's History vs. Watt, Heyward and Steelers

Monken is in his first season as the head coach of the Browns, but he has plenty of prior experience against Watt, Heyward and Pittsburgh as a whole.

His first stint with Cleveland came as its offensive coordinator in 2019, marking his lone year in that role for the franchise. That season, the two teams split the series 1-1 while Watt finished with a sack in each contest and Heyward posted a half-sack to go with a fumble recovery.

Monken later returned to the AFC North as the Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator from 2023 to 2025. Pittsburgh dominated Baltimore during the regular season over that stretch, going 5-1 as Watt logged five total sacks. Heyward did not post a sack in the five contests he appeared in during that span, though he did end up with 24 tackles.

The Ravens and Monken also took down the Steelers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs in 2024 by a score of 28-14. Watt didn't record a stat in that game, but Heyward put up 10 total tackles.

Can Watt, Heyward and Company Shut Down Browns in Week 4?

Cleveland is 2-1 to open the season, much like Pittsburgh and the rest of the AFC North.

The Browns' offense has done its job amidst the team's two-game win streak, though the unit has still averaged the third-fewest yards per game with 266.0.

Furthermore, Cleveland's new-look offensive line has allowed a pressure rate of 38.8 percent, which ranks right in the middle of the league at No. 16 (per SumerSports).

The Steelers' defense wasn't quite as stout in Week 3's 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals as it had been in the first two contests of the season, allowing 352 yards while Derrick Harmon's game-ending strip sack was Pittsburgh's only quarterback takedown of the day.

Watt, after having 3.5 sacks and a pick-six between Weeks 1 and 2, didn't finish with a single pressure against the Bengals (per Pro Football Focus), though Heyward had a season-high three pressures in that matchup.

On paper, the Steelers' defense is a far more talented unit than the Browns' offense. Coming away with a victory at Huntington Bank Field has proven to be a tough task for Pittsburgh over the past few years, and the franchise has never won on Thursday Night Football in Cleveland, but it's fair to expect that Watt, Heyward and company will ultimately gain the upper-hand throughout the game.

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