The Cleveland Browns‘ head coach search was perhaps the most confusing of this ongoing cycle. After firing Kevin Stefanski in the wake of the 2025 campaign, the Browns cast a wide net with their search, but they seemingly could not find many candidates who were interested in their opening.
That led to a fairly uninspiring group of finalists for the job, with former Baltimore Ravens‘ offensive coordinator Todd Monken emerging from the shadows to beat out Cleveland’s defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, and Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. To say that Monken’s hire is a surprise may be an understatement, and one NFL insider recently pulled back the curtain on the Browns’ decision to bring him back to town.
Why did the Browns Hire Todd Monken?
Monken is a veteran coach who has accrued quite a bit of experience working on the offensive side of the ball. While he hasn’t served as a head coach in the NFL before, Monken did work as the Southern Miss Golden Eagles‘ head coach in the college football realm from 2013 to 2015. Monken was also the Browns’ offensive coordinator in 2019, so that familiarity with the organization may have helped land him this job.
And yet, Monken wasn’t believed to have as good a shot at landing this job as either Schwartz or Scheelhaase. Schwartz was widely believed to be the frontrunner given the work he did with the Browns’ offense, while Scheelhaase was viewed as a flashy, younger option who could come in and work with Shedeur Sanders on offense.
And yet, Monken got tabbed from seemingly out of nowhere, as he had been heavily linked to the New York Giants‘ offensive coordinator gig after the team hired John Harbaugh to be their new head coach. According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, the Browns’ decision to hire Monken came down to their desire to hire an offensive-minded coach, and their concerns about who Schwartz fill out his offensive coaching staff with if he were to be hired.
“The hiring of Todd Monken, outside of his set of skills & familiarity that the Browns liked, also potentially illuminates what the organization thought of Jim Schwartz’s plan and staff template on the offensive side of the ball at this juncture in carousel hiring season,” Anderson wrote in a post on X. “A league source adds: ‘At the end of the day they decided they wanted an offensive background.’”
Todd Monken Set to Hit the Ground Running with the Browns
GettyThe Browns have hired former Ravens’ offensive coordinator Todd Monken to be their new head coach
Regardless of the reason for the move, Monken now has to begin working on figuring out how to get the Browns back on track. He will have to move quickly to assemble his coaching staff, and the first question he will face involves Schwartz’s future. Reports indicate Cleveland wants Schwartz to stick around as its defensive coordinator, but it remains to be seen if that’s what he intends to do.
Once the coaching staff is filled out, the Browns have to begin working on retooling their roster. While their defense is a strong unit, the offensive side of the ball needs some serious help. That’s where Monken figures to help out, but he’s going to need some better players at his disposal if he’s going to have any shot at succeeding in Cleveland.
Insider Explains Browns’ Surprising Decision to Hire Todd Monken as New Head Coach