Todd Monken Knows the Ravens' Backup Plan Better Than Anyone, and the Browns Could Benefit

Todd Monken coached Tyler Huntley for three years in Baltimore and saw him in Browns camps twice, giving Cleveland rare insight if Lamar Jackson sits.

by Andrew Hughes

Oct 16, 2026

Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

If Lamar Jackson’s ankle keeps him out again, the Cleveland Browns will see Tyler Huntley on Sunday. Nobody in Berea knows Huntley better than Browns head coach Todd Monken, who coached him for three seasons in Baltimore.

Monken was the Ravens’ offensive coordinator from 2023 to 2025, and Huntley went 2-0 under him last season, beating the Bears and Packers. Monken didn’t forget it. “Hell, Snoop saved our season twice,” he said in a June interview, according to NFL.com.

Monken has seen Huntley up close

Oct 11, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley (5) celebrates with quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) after a touchdown during overtime against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The connection runs deeper than one coaching stop. Huntley spent the summer of 2024 in Cleveland, making the initial 53-man roster before being released, and he came back to Browns camp in 2025 before another release. That’s two stints of Cleveland practice film on top of Monken’s three years of Baltimore tape.

Monken isn’t treating that intel as an edge, at least not publicly. “They’ve got a really good coaching staff, and I’ve been there before where we played Snoop, and Snoop’s a really good football player and won a bunch of games as the starter,” he said this week, according to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi.

Huntley earned that respect again last week. He went 24 of 32 for 201 yards and two touchdown passes in an overtime win in Atlanta, then scored the winner on a 1-yard sneak. He is now 8-9 as a starter in his career.

Jackson hasn’t practiced since spraining his ankle Oct. 4, though Adam Schefter reported he has a realistic chance to play.

Cleveland will need every advantage it can find. Running back Quinshon Judkins (ankle) didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday, and linebacker Carson Schwesinger left MetLife Stadium in a walking boot after the 17-12 loss to the Jets. Keeping pace with Baltimore will be hard with a banged-up roster.

That’s where Monken’s knowledge could help. He knows the reads Huntley likes, the throws he avoids and how the Ravens build around him. At Huntington Bank Field, that might be worth a few stops, and in a game Baltimore is favored to win, a few stops could be the difference.