BEREA ― Todd Monken's time with the Baltimore Ravens as offensive coordinator may not have necessarily ended great. That doesn't mean the first-year Browns coach didn't leave a great impression on those who remained.
That wasn't even limited to those who played on the offensive side of the ball.
"I freaking love Todd," Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey told Baltimore reporters this week. "I actually talked with Todd a decent amount, a bit, during the offseason when he was kind of going through that process. He was probably one of my favorite coaches of all time. 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."
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Exactly how much Humphrey will be chatting with Monken this week remains to be seen. It's not likely to be much, considering Monken's now the coaching the Browns, who will be playing host to the Ravens Oct. 18 in a key AFC North game.
Humphrey doesn't even need to communicate with Monken to know what's going through his mind. He spent enough time going against him in practices over the three years they were on opposite sides of the ball in the same organization
"I have not hit him up this week, but that is definitely one of my favorite coaches," Humphrey said. "So, I know if I know Todd the way I think I know Todd, he will want to kick our tail. So, I am trying not to let that happen. But, like I said, one of my favorite coaches."
Monken has kept most of the conversations about facing his former team at arm's length in his one availability with the media since the Browns turned their attention to the Ravens. He's not the only one who will be facing their former employers among Monken's coaching staff, as offensive coordinator Travis Switzer, offensive line coach George Warhop, pass game specialist Danny Breyer, tight ends coach Jeff Blasko and offensive quality control coach Ian Kolste all were with the Ravens in 2025.
Monken's one of two first-year head coaches in the game, both of whom had ties to the Ravens before they were head coaches. However, Ravens coach Jesse Minter's time as an assistant under John Harbaugh stretched from 2017-20, while Monken didn't arrive until 2023.
"It's probably overblown at this point," Minter said. "I mean, Todd’s … a guy I have a ton of respect for. I've known him for a long, long time. I think there are so many of those things where it's like, 'Well, they know that we know that they know.' Don't put a lot of stock into it. Again, high level of respect for him and a lot of the coaches that are there that were here. They know our guys."
Of course, much was made about how things ended with the Ravens, not just for Monken, but Harbaugh as well. The latter was fired two days after the Ravens missed out on the AFC North championship and a playoff berth when kicker Tyler Loop missed a last-second field goal to lose at the Pittsburgh Steelers.
However, there were grumblings from inside the Ravens organization about Monken's offense in 2025, which ranked 11h in scoring and 16th in yards per game. That was despite quarterback Lamar Jackson missing four games because of a hamstring injury.
Wide receiver Rashod Bateman was another player who missed time during the 2025 season, only playing in 12 games. This week, he disputed the narrative that things ended poorly with Monken in Baltimore.
“I think it ended well," Bateman said. "We had a lot of success under Todd, and I had my best year under him. A lot of guys broke a lot of records under Todd, so it’s just part of the game. People grow to get better opportunities to go elsewhere, and he definitely earned that job.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: What the Ravens have said about facing Todd Monken with Browns
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