Carson Beck, Ty Simpson Hype Browns as Potential 2026 NFL Draft Landing Spot Amid Ties to Monken

If the Cleveland Browns hired a head coach hoping to raise their profile with some of the incoming quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL draft, Todd Monken may have been a perfect addition for them.

Monken has connections to both Alabama's Ty Simpson and Miami's Carson Beck, prompting both quarterbacks to hype up the Browns as they were making the rounds at the NFL scouting combine on Friday.

Simpson told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that his father, Jason, who played at Southern Mississippi from 1993 to '94 and where Monken was head football coach from 2013 to '15, would be "excited" if he landed in Cleveland.

Beck explained he would be "super stoked" for the opportunity to play in the NFL under Monken, who was his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Georgia from 2020 to '22.

Beck added that he had a formal interview with the Browns at the combine. He also said that he will take part in throwing drills with the quarterbacks on Saturday.

The Browns continue to find themselves in desperate need of help at quarterback despite all of the resources they have invested in the position in recent years.

Going back to March 2022, the list of quarterback moves for the Browns includes trading three first-round draft picks for Deshaun Watson and giving him a fully-guaranteed $230 million contract, signing Jacoby Brissett and Joe Flacco, drafting Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

Ten different quarterbacks have started at least one game for the Browns over the past four seasons.

There isn't an obvious franchise quarterback who figures to be available when the Browns make their first pick at No. 6 overall, but they have another first-rounder at No. 24 stemming from their trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars last year.

B/R's NFL scouting department has Simpson ranked as the No. 28 overall prospect in this year's class, so he could be a fit for the Browns late in the first round if they like his pre-draft workouts.

Beck is the 97th overall prospect on B/R's big board, so the Browns could wait on him if they think he could become a quality NFL player.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry has said they won't put "any restraints" on potentially taking a quarterback in this draft if there is a player they like.

Monken helped build the offense for the Baltimore Ravens that led Lamar Jackson to winning his second MVP award in 2023 and finishing second in 2024. He won't have anyone in Cleveland nearly as talented as Jackson, at least not right away, but his ability to coach up an offense at least opens up a lot of possibilities for the Browns.