Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken shares season-long plan for to rotate the team's captains.
Being a team captain is considered one of the greatest honors a player can be granted by his own teammates. For the Cleveland Browns, it appears numerous players will have the opportunity to serve as a captain throughout the 2026 season.
Speaking on Monday at the start of Week 1, Monken revealed his plan to change captains each week, before the team votes on the final captains at the end of the season. It's a group that will feature five total players, including two players on offense and two players on defense.
Monken isn't the only coach to deploy a weekly captain system in the NFL, the difference is that other teams that use that method still have overarching captains for the entire season. As Monken went on to explain, this is just what he prefers for his team.
"I just like it that way," asserted the Browns head man. "I think we have a fairly young team. I'm not ready to name guys that are permanent for us. I do think it's cool for players to go out for the coin toss. I think it's really cool. I think most teams have more leaders than just four or five guys. I just believe that."
As Monken went onto explain, selecting captains each week will be done by the coaching staff, with the hope of rewarding players throughout the season for their efforts and performances.
"I believe that with each game you reward guys for the week that they've had and that's what we're going to do," added Monken.
So who will be standing at mid-field for Cleveland for the opening coin toss of the season on Sunday, when the Browns visit the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Monken revealed the official list of captains, which features QB Deshaun Watson and G Zion Johnson for the offense. CB Tyson Campball and DT Mason Graham for the defense and longsnaper Rex Sunahara for special teams.
For Watson, Jacksonville is a team he has plenty of familiarity with from his time playing in the AFC South with the Houston Texans. He's actually 7-0 against Jacksonville all time.
Meanwhile, Campbell spent the first five years of his career with the Jags before being traded to the Browns last season, making Week 1 a bit of a revenge game for him.
The Browns and Jaguars will kick things off at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, with temperatures expected in the high 90s near kickoff.
