When the Cleveland Browns announced that Todd Monken was going to be their next head coach, there weren’t a whole lot of excited fans in the city. This was an iconic coach hiring cycle that featured plenty of big names circling the rumor mill, so to hire a 59-year-old career coordinator with no head coaching experience obviously wasn’t most Browns fans’ first option.
None of that is an indictment on Monken’s abilities as a coach, because he is undoubtedly an outstanding coach with two National Championships and an MVP quarterback on his resume just in the past five years. Plenty of players and colleagues have come out and said wonderful things in support of Monken, and one insider recently revealed even more reasons that fans should be encouraged about this move.
During a recent episode of Orange and Brown Talk, Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot chimed in on the Monken situation and talked about why he could be exactly the coach the Browns need right now.
She pointed out plenty of other coaches who weren’t high-profile hires and turned out to be some of the best coaches in the league.
“Nobody was banging down Kevin Stefanski’s door to hire him when he got the Browns job. He had some other opportunities, but he wasn’t the hottest candidate on the market. When Mike Tomlin got the job in Pittsburgh, there were not a ton of people clamoring after Mike Tomlin. Same thing with John Harbaugh. He has more play-calling experience walking into this job than Kevin Stefanski did when he walked onto this job.”
Todd Monken might not generate a ton of excitement right now, but @MaryKayCabot and @dan_labbe talk about why he might be exactly what the #Browns need. pic.twitter.com/5KjqMO7fFp
— Orange and Brown Talk (@orangebrowntalk) January 30, 2026
Cabot added that this is exactly what the offense needs. The Browns need an entirely new vibe on offense and a new philosophy, and Monken has had plenty of success running offenses in recent years.
Cleveland had the worst offense in the NFL in 2024 and was barely any better in 2025.
The quarterback situation is still a mess and there are four starting offensive linemen hitting free agency, but Monken is a consistent and stabilizing force who could be exactly the right guy to steer the ship in that type of a situation.
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