Forget quarterback battles. Todd Monken has his sights set on a surprising offensive weapon to solidify the Cleveland Browns ground game and boost short-yardage efficiency.
While Cleveland Browns fans have spent most of the offseason debating who the starting quarterback should be between Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, new head coach Todd Monken is worried about a much different area of the roster.
The first-time head man made it known at the NFL's annual owner's meetings that, among the moves already made this offseason by Cleveland, he still wants to add a fullback.
"I think it's helpful in all the areas where you have to run the football," Monken explained this week. "Coming out, four minutes, short yardage, goal line. Especially if you want to be a gap scheme team. Don't think if you want to be a zone team per se, you'd have to have that. But from gap schemes, downhill runs."
Monken is certainly no stranger to utilizing a fullback in his offense. He had the luxury of working with one of the best in the business, Pat Ricard, during his three seasons as offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens ran the third most 21-personnel (two back sets) in football last year, with Ricard serving quite often as the second man in the backfield, throwing lead blocks for Derrick Henry.
In an ideal world, Monken would love to find his own Pat Ricard here in Cleveland, granted that's easier said than done.
"Well, Pat's a unicorn. I mean 300 pounds, and basically with his athleticism, having an offensive guard back there with the feel that he has, I think it's rare," said Monken. "So we're going to look for any player that we think gives us an opportunity to run the football at a high level."
Now the question becomes, where will Cleveland find this mystery fullback that Monken desires? The position is a bit of a dying breed in the NFL these days, with so many pass-heavy offenses that prioritize getting the ball to the perimeter.
Still, there has been a bit of a run-game renaissance of late, with teams looking to take advantage of defenses having more athletic, but less imposing defenders at the second and third levels.
Maybe, just maybe, the fullback is making a comeback and if so, Monken appears to be at the forefront of it. With the NFL Draft just three weeks away, perhaps it will serve as the perfect place to identify the league's next great fullback.
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