Browns 'like' this QB prospect amid Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson uncertainty

How recently hired Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken and general manager Andrew Berry feel about Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson will seemingly continue to generate headlines and spark conversations on local sports-talk programs leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft, which gets underway on April 23. 

Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer recently indicated that at least some people associated with the franchise are intrigued at the thought of adding Simpson to a quarterback room occupied by Shedeur Sanders, fellow 2025 rookie Dillon Gabriel and veteran Deshaun Watson.

What Browns allegedly like about Ty Simpson

"The Browns like Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, but it remains to be seen if they like him enough to take him in the first round, where he’s likely to go," Cabot wrote. "Simpson has started only 15 games — all last season — but exhibited some tantalizing traits, including quick processing, accuracy, arm strength and mobility." 

Simpson made it known that he is a big fan of Monken, who recruited the signal-caller while serving as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Georgia. While some think Simpson could slide all the way out of the first round of the draft, former NFL quarterback and current analyst Dan Orlovsky has suggested that the perceived "gap" between Simpson and Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza is not "justified." 

The Las Vegas Raiders are widely expected to make Mendoza the draft's first pick. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. thinks the New York Jets could grab Simpson with overall choice No. 16. 

Would Todd Monken welcome a Ty Simpson challenge?

If it's true that Monken may be "drawn" to trying to turn Sanders into a long-term franchise quarterback, perhaps the same could be said about how the coach would ultimately view Simpson. On Monday, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic detailed how the perception exists that "one of Monken’s best attributes is his ability to evaluate quarterbacks." 

One wonders if Berry would allow Monken to basically choose Simpson over both Sanders and Watson regarding the franchise's future later this spring.