Todd Monken and the Cleveland Browns are still finding their footing two weeks into the 2026 season. Cleveland opened with a 34-10 blowout loss in Jacksonville before rallying from a 16-6 deficit to beat Tampa Bay 23-19 on the road. Deshaun Watson threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns in the win, handing Monken his first victory as an NFL head coach and pushing the Browns to 1-1 heading into Sunday’s home opener.
Still, Cleveland will need more out of Quinshon Judkins if that progress is going to continue. He rushed for 827 yards and seven touchdowns across 14 starts as a rookie. Yet Judkins carries more than usage numbers into this season. Cleveland drafted him in 2025 with the idea that he could eventually take over for Nick Chubb, a name that still means plenty in this building.
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Few players have meant more to the Browns over the last decade than the veteran back Monken once coached as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator.
Nick Chubb to Officially Retire as a Brown
Chubb announced his retirement last month, closing the book on a career that included four straight Pro Bowl selections from 2019 through 2022. Now the Browns are making that goodbye official in their own way.
Cleveland announced Thursday on its in-house radio show that Chubb will officially retire as a Brown, and he’s expected to sign a one-day contract with the team on Friday.
Few players have meant more to the Browns over the last decade than the veteran back
Chubb left Cleveland with 6,843 career rushing yards and 51 touchdowns, good for third on the franchise’s all-time list behind only Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly.
He made four straight Pro Bowls from 2019 through 2022, broke off a 92-yard touchdown run against Atlanta in 2018 that still stands as the longest in team history, and finished with 30 games of at least 100 rushing yards, second only to Brown.
Monken had a front-row seat to that peak as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator back in 2019, the year Chubb piled up 1,494 rushing yards. But injuries changed everything after that.
A 2023 knee injury required two reconstructive surgeries, and a 2024 comeback attempt ended early when he broke his foot. By the time Cleveland drafted Judkins and Dylan Sampson, the writing was on the wall, and Chubb signed with Houston that June in 2025.
Cleveland opens its home slate Sunday, Sept. 27, hosting the Carolina Panthers at Huntington Bank Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
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