Before returning to the Cleveland Browns and beginning his stint as a head coach, Todd Monken spent three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens as their offensive coordinator. He helped the Ravens become the first franchise to throw for at least 4,000 yards and rush for at least 3,000 yards in the same season (2024). Now, he’s about to face his former team with a new cast on Sunday, and the Ravens know that he’d do his best to secure a win in the Week 6 game.
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“He [Todd Monken] might not say it in the media, but to the team, he’s definitely talking a lot of trash and letting them know he wants to beat us.” Ravens running back Derrick Henry said, as per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. “But that’s just how it goes. It’s gonna be, like I said, a four-quarter battle. He’s got them rolling over there. And we gotta finish off this week right to be prepared for him.”
Even cornerback Marlon Humphrey knows that Monken will bring the Browns with the intent to beat the Ravens.
“He was probably one of my favorite coaches of all time,” Humphrey said. “He’s just a cool guy to chat (with). I think we talked in Green Bay for a preseason game probably for like two hours just giving me his rundown of places he has been, family, the whole nine. If I know Todd the way I think I know Todd, he will want to kick our tails.”
With Deshaun Watson leading the offense, the Browns have amassed three wins in the last five games. Meanwhile, after Lamar Jackson injured his ankle, Tyler Huntley took over as the quarterback and led the Ravens from a 3-1 to a 4-1 record.
But Monken already knows how Huntley approaches his games. Having coached the Ravens’ quarterback in the 2025 season, the Browns head coach knows that Huntley is able to “make plays with his arms and his legs.” Monken acknowledged Huntley’s skill set and claimed that he knows where to throw the ball under pressure.
Nevertheless, the Ravens can still rely on Derrick Henry. In the last game against the Browns (on November 16, 2025), the running back rushed for 103 yards in 18 attempts to score one touchdown.
Yet, they need to be wary of Monken’s offensive play calling. He claimed to be grateful for the opportunity to face off against the Ravens. He further claimed that even though he had a lot of friends in Baltimore, he isn’t going to let a divisional game slip away. To do that, he’s likely indulging in off-the-record trash talk to motivate the Browns.
“Ultimately, I have a job to do,” Monken said. “Just like I had a job to do (with the Ravens), just like I had a job to do in ’19 (with the Browns). And the job is (to find) what I can do today to help our team get better and keep taking strides to play winning football. And that’s really all I think about. It’s a big game, division game, and it’s the next one.”
Monken’s behind-the-scenes trash talk sets the perfect stage for an AFC North reunion. But only time can tell if that trash talk can lead the Browns to a Week 6 victory over the Ravens on Sunday.