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Myles Garrett #95 talks with team co-owner Jimmy Haslam. Trading Garrett might be good for coach Todd Monken.
No matter how much of a backer of the former Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett one might be, and no matter how staunch a critic of the decision to trade him to the Rams last week, there can be no question that Garrett had at least made things awkward for new coach Todd Monken.
When Monken was hired–and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, a Garrett favorite and the presumed front-runner for the role, was put out to pasture–Garrett famously posted a meme of an exhausted and frustrated restaurant worker on social media. Garrett was not present when Monken was introduced, then never made his way to Berea for even a brief meet-and-greet with Monken.
He did not show for any portion of the offseason program, which is fine because it is voluntary and no one expected him to be there. But he did not even drop by for a handshake and a photo with the new coach that the team could have posted to its Twitter/X account. Worse, Monken had to concede that all he’d gotten from Garrett had been a text.
Myles Garrett Could Have Done More to Support Browns’ Todd Monken
Now, on a veteran team that might not matter. But the Browns are not a veteran team, and for anyone observing from the outside of the Monken-Garrett relationship, it would have been clear who was on top of that power dynamic. Garrett appeared to be big-timing Monken, and that’s not a great place for a first-time head coach to be when addressing his young team.
Certainly, Garrett and Monken could have made things work, and both would have said all the right things once Garrett arrived for this week’s mandatory minicamp. But the dynamic had already been established, and that was always going to be tough for Monken to shake off.
Myles Garrett Trade ‘Best’ for Todd Monken
Thus, Browns beat reporter Zac Jackson noted recently on “The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show” that despite losing all that Garrett does on the field, the trade of Garrett will benefit Monken greatly off the field.
Said Jackson: “This is the best thing for this head coach. Because he is taking over what’s probably going to be the youngest team in the league. He’s trying to create his own culture. And this really has nothing to do with May and June OTAs, although Todd Monken made it would have liked Myles Garrett to be here.
“But this is about these 21 and 22-year olds who worship Myles Garrett because they’ve been watching him, they know he is the very best at what he does. And if he has his own set of rules, that’s not how you build a culture. Did they know him, did they love him, what really went on? I don’t know. But Myles Garrett is his own galaxy because of his talent. And the way the Browns had disciplined or connected to Myles Garrett was just, pay him more money and make more highlight videos of him when the team stunk.”
Browns Moving on as Rebuilding Team
Obviously, consideration for Monken’s power dynamics were not the main driver of the trade for the Browns. They were able to bring in a younger replacement piece, 25-year-old Jared Verse, and add a 2027 first-round draft pick plus two other picks. The move made sense to refit the organization as one in developmental mode–that was always a hard tightrope to walk, to be both developmental and to have the best win-now defensive piece in the NFL at the same time.
But Monken comes out of all this in a better position. It would be too strong to say that Garrett had disrespected Monken, but he did not go out of his way to respect the coach. And everyone knew it. Now, Garrett is gone and Monken is in a stronger spot as the leader of this team.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
