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Although it appeared close on some occasions, the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills successfully avoided turning their joint practice on Thursday, Aug. 20, into a brawl. As eerie as that might sound, it’s a positive outcome for a young Brown side that needs more quality time on the pitch than WWE-themed bragging rights ahead of the new season. The Browns enter with a combined record of 8-26 in the past two seasons and are clearly off the standard of a perennial playoff team like the Bills. However, thanks to their practice outing, the franchise’s offense has drawn significant adulation from Todd Monken, who now faces an uphill challenge ahead of next season’s AFC North contests. What Todd Monken Said After Thursday’s Browns-Bills Practice In multiple ways, joint practices have become more useful to NFL sides than preseason games due to the flexibility they offer. Among other things, these plays allow participating coaches to organize situational football to develop specific skill sets or mindsets in players. Conversely, in exhibition games, lineups are inconsistent at best, and certain scenarios may not happen. Yet, despite the positives from Thursday’s practice, as Cleveland radio host Anthony Lima said to co-host Ken Carman during a recent episode of their 92.3 The Fan talk show, the Browns have a challenging season ahead of them. “We need them to be miracle workers. We just to. It’s unfair to Todd Monken, but this was your shot. You’ve got to be a miracle worker. It was the consensus that the Browns’ offense looked new and improved…even with Deshaun Watson.” "We need them to be miracle workers. We just to. It's unfair to Todd Monken, but this was your shot. You've got to be a miracle worker. It was the consensus that the Browns' offense looked new and improved…even with Deshaun Watson." ➡️ @SportsBoyTony to @KenCarman on the… https://t.co/3PVYUGDhqw pic.twitter.com/YdZvhWVvU8 — 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) August 21, 2026 Despite their apparent value, recent training practices have turned into large-scale brawls across the league. For instance, the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints slug it out during a chaotic joint practice on Aug. 18. As a result, the league fined each franchise a $500,000 fine two days later. But the 2026 Browns side managed to avoid a scuffle on Thursday. Cleveland is rebuilding a team that needs as many iterations as possible against a superior team in the Bills to prepare itself for the new season. Meanwhile, in most of the joint practices against the Bills, the Browns held their own. Both starters and backup members of the Buffalo offense clearly dominated the Browns’ defense in a red-zone period. However, the Browns’ offense delivered some remarkable responses as quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders split first-team snaps. Perhaps the biggest downside of the event for the Browns was an injury to defensive end Alex Wright during a one-on-one drill against the opponent’s offensive line. While Monken and the rest of the Browns’ dressing room wish Wright a swift recovery, all focus is on maintaining their peaceful outings while improving their skills ahead of the 2026 season. Meanwhile, ahead of Saturday’s August 22 preseason match against the Bills, the gaffer reportedly plans to rest a group of players he termed “older” starters, giving younger athletes the opportunity to hone their craft with a significantly superior side in a less competitive ambiance. Just maybe, the Browns could garner enough to produce, using Lima’s terms, something close to a “miracle” when the season begins. Related reading: Najee Harris Signing Comes With Clear Expectation as Giants Prepare for Crowded Backfield