When NFL teams make a coaching change, roster turnover tends to follow. It wouldn’t be anything surprising for the Cleveland Browns, who ended their 5-12 season at the bottom of the AFC North division. But for head coach Todd Monken, his tenure in the Dawg Pound begins with a multi-million dollar headache involving a future Browns Ring of Honor veteran.

On February 16, offensive lineman Joel Bitonio’s contract is set to expire, which will make him a free agent. If the Browns do not decide within 48 hours, they will end up with a dead cap of $23.5 million. While he is no longer the same competitor he was when there were annual battles between him and Zack Martin for the best guards in the league, he remains a top player even at the age of 34.

However, a decision will need to be made before his contract is void. If they are not ready with one, though, the Browns can take other steps:

• Extend Bitonio: No team ever extends a player just to create cap space. However, for 2026, his Pro Football Focus grade is 70.7 (21), and he has a pass-block grade of 75.7 (8th). That is out of 81 eligible OLs. So, not only can he provide good protection to a young quarterback like Shedeur Sanders, but he can also help the team relieve some of its cap space.
  According to Spotrac, the 34-year-old’s market value projection is $12.9 million on a one-year deal. So, if GM Andrew Berry and HC Todd Monken are to make a decision, the $12.9 million for a year would be a better deal than an immediate dead cap hit of $23.5 million.
  The Browns have already maxed out their cap space and are over by almost $20 million.
• He retires: Although an unlikely move, given that he anticipated his retirement last offseason and returned only to perform the way he always has, he could choose to retire. If that happens, the Browns can request him to sign a minimum cost extension to play on $1.3m for the 2026 season. This will help the team in two ways:
  1) His contract will not void on February 16, and they can avoid an immediate cap hit.
  2) He can then retire on June 2, similar to a post-June 1st cut. Since he won’t play, he won’t be paid that $1.3 million. Meanwhile, his dead cap can still be split as $8,574,000 for 2026 and a $14,930,000 in 2027.
• They move the date: If the team and Bitonio need more time, they could amend the contract itself, pushing the voiding date to another month. March 10th to 13th, around free agency (March 9) is usually the most common dates.

It is important to note that the league allots two such designations each season to a franchise. Already, the Browns are expected to use one on tight end David Njoku, who has already decided to move on from Berea.

As the Browns decide to bring in young players with their ten draft picks in 2026 under a new head coach, having another veteran voice in the locker room will only help. The five-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler has been in Cleveland since they drafted him in the 2014 NFL Draft.

While Monken is in a dilemma over Bitonio, ghosts of the past refuse to leave Cleveland. Once again, the head coach is stuck in the quarterback room, with possibly too many options, but no clear choice as their primary QB. Whatever his decision may be, it could pose a problem for Shedeur Sanders.

Shedeur Sanders could lose his primary quarterback role to Deshaun Watson

Replaying how Cleveland’s quarterback movie played out throughout the year has now become redundant. But they are back in a similar position.

After a tough fight, Shedeur Sanders finally got the QB1 role under head coach Kevin Stefanski. He even got three wins, more than any other QB that played in 2025. His arm strength and use of legs only excited the Dawg Pound.

But he faces the music someone else is playing once again.

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At the end of the day, his rookie campaign was mediocre at best, and he could not push the Browns to a playoff spot. He started seven of his eight games, securing 1,400 passing yards and scoring six touchdowns while throwing 10 interceptions. But now, Monken feels the starter will be determined, with their performances speaking for themselves. However, when asked about who is likely to start, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot had an interesting perspective on it.

“I was asked on the radio this morning, what percent chance do I think Deshaun Watson has of starting the opener? And I said 40% right now,” Cabot said. “I think right now that it would probably be 40 for Shedeur, 40 for Deshaun and 20 for someone else. So I think those two guys heading into this whole thing are probably kind of running neck and neck.”

Watson came to Cleveland in 2022. Due to injuries and suspensions, his playing time was reduced to just 19 games. Fortunately, he returned to practice for three weeks in December. With only one year left in his contract, he hopes to make the most out of it. But how he is in a neck-to-neck race with Shedeur is strictly because of his experience.

He has three Pro-Bowl appearances while playing for the Houston Texans, and before injuries plagued him, he was supposed to help elevate the Browns. On the other hand, Sanders will enter only his second year and received a Pro-Bowl nod as a replacement.

On the paper, Watson has the highest cap hit for the Browns, ranging to $80 million. So, it’s highly unlikely the franchise will bench him despite spending so much on him.

Interestingly, Dillon Gabriel, whom Stefanski publicly promoted early in the 2025 season, is not even in the conversation at this point. Somehow, the Oregon product had a worse outing than Sanders, and his inability to throw far, make quick decisions under pressure, and a lower number of wins gradually took away his QB1 confidence. Although his playing chances are comparatively fewer, he could prove to be the dark horse among the three quarterbacks.

There are still a few months left for Monken to make the decision. It remains to be seen whether Sanders can regain his position as QB1 or return to being a backup quarterback. Meanwhile, the Browns have two early-round picks and ten total picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, where they might select a franchise QB that they have not had for decades now.