After a 23-day search, the Cleveland Browns hired Todd Monken as head coach ahead of the 2026 season. He comes to Cleveland after a successful stint with the Baltimore Ravens. There, he called plays for Lamar Jackson’s 2023 MVP campaign.
After a long, 23-day process, the Cleveland Browns have officially hired Todd Monken as head coach to lead the team into the 2026 season. Monken comes to Cleveland following a successful stint with the Baltimore Ravens. Most notably, Lamar Jackson won MVP in 2023 with Monken calling the plays.
Before his stint in Baltimore, Monken was the offensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs. In that time, the Bulldogs won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022 with a stellar offensive output. Despite his proven track record of building productive offenses, many Browns fans remain skeptical of the hire. Even so, Monken represents a logical and defensible choice.
Monken Makes Logical Sense
Monken inherits a young roster, and the Browns will most likely look to add to their offense. They hope he can mold it into something successful.
An example of Monken’s success comes from his Georgia tenure. Monken helped elevate quarterback Stetson Bennett to an NFL-caliber level, leading to Bennett’s fourth-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft despite concerns about his age and stature. Monken has built a reputation for maximizing offensive talent — an area the Browns have struggled with since their 2023 playoff run with Joe Flacco.
Aside from the proof of offensive success with the Ravens and the Bulldogs, Monken makes plenty of sense for Cleveland. When the Browns fired long-time head coach Kevin Stefanski, their priority was clear: fix the offense. Cleveland ranked among the NFL’s worst offensive units in 2024, despite Stefanski’s assurances that improvements were coming.
Monken, with his extensive successful offensive background, is being brought in to do just that.
The Cause for Concern
While a picture can be painted of the Monken hire being positive, many fans are concerned, and rightfully so. The primary concern stems from the fallout involving defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Schwartz led the Browns to being a top defense regardless of what the team’s overall record said. Still, the Browns passed over Schwartz and chose Monken, which did not sit well with Schwartz, to the point where he was telling his fellow staffers goodbye at the Browns’ office in Berea when the news broke.
This perceived dysfunction — news leaking immediately after the hire — echoes long-standing issues tied to the Browns’ history under owner Jimmy Haslam. Situations like this do not give comfort to Browns fans in the team’s hiring process and ability to put together a competent product on the field. Failing to anticipate or contain Schwartz’s reaction is already the first blunder for the Browns following the hiring of Todd Monken. Whether the Browns can repair the relationship or lose Schwartz remains to be seen.Either way, there is no question that this is already a bad look for the Browns in what is supposed to be the start of a new era for the franchise.
What’s Next?
While Monken makes sense in terms of the logic the team followed to look for a new coach in wanting to acquire an offensive mind, signs of dysfunction are already turning fans off. This also does not include the fact that many fans preferred one of the younger offensive minds the team interviewed, like Nate Scheelhaase, who was a finalist the team passed on. This is a boom or bust move that could pan out for the Browns much more than people realize.
Monken makes sense. He builds great offenses, and if he can win over the locker room and survive the Schwartz fallout, this could be a step in the right direction for the franchise.
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