Sean McDermott Reveals What Struck Him About Todd Monken

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Sean McDermott understands how much a first team meeting can shape the beginning of a head coach’s tenure. It offers the first real opportunity to establish expectations and explain how every part of an organization fits together.

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Those details often remain behind closed doors while conversations between coaches focus on schemes, players and game plans. One question from Todd Monken took McDermott back to the beginning of his time in Buffalo.

Sean McDermott Reveals Todd Monken’s Unusual Request

Sean McDermott shared the story during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show that aired Oct. 3, 2026. He said Monken contacted him in early March, shortly after taking over as head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott during a training camp practice in 2019.

“I didn’t really know Todd well. I knew his work, but I had never really interacted with him,” McDermott said. “Funny story. So, he reaches out this past, I believe it was early March, and he was really curious about my first team meeting in 2017 in Buffalo.”

Monken wanted to understand how McDermott had connected the entire Bills organization and made employees outside the football operation feel valued. McDermott said no coach had asked him that question during his nine seasons in Buffalo.

“We get asked questions about scheme and leadership and so on and so forth, but Todd reached out, and he wanted to know about my first team meeting,” McDermott said.


“What struck me about it was how vulnerable one has to be to reach out to a peer about a question like a team meeting, especially when he just got his job, and he’s about to go into his first team meeting with his new group,” McDermott added.

The request stood out because Monken was willing to seek advice from another coach before addressing his new team. McDermott viewed that decision as a sign of humility and authentic leadership rather than uncertainty.

Todd Monken’s Approach Produces Early Results

Cleveland hired Monken on Jan. 28, 2026, making him the 19th full-time head coach in franchise history. The Browns have opened his first season with a 3-1 record and sit among the early leaders in the AFC North.

Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken takes notes during team OTAs at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus of the Cleveland Browns in Berea, Ohio on June 2, 2026.

Sean McDermott faced a similar challenge when Buffalo hired him in January 2017. He emphasized preparation, accountability and a shared commitment across the organization before leading the Bills to a 9-7 record and their first playoff appearance since 1999.

Monken’s request showed he was interested in more than designing an offense or managing a roster. Before leading his first Cleveland meeting, he wanted to learn how another coach had brought an entire building together.

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