Whenever an NFL team hires a new head coach, the outlook and optimism are ramped up considerably. No matter how bad the team was that led to the previous coach getting fired, the next man up is expected to change things, the sooner the better.
The Cleveland Browns have gone through this cycle of hope many times over the past two decades, literally more than almost every other team in the league. So far, no one has been able to turn around the franchise.
Todd Monken is the latest person to get that chance, as he replaces Kevin Stefanski. The task ahead is daunting, to say the least, and there are some doubts he will succeed as one of the oldest first-time NFL head coaches in history.
Analyst Gary Davenport recently stated what the “realistic expectation” should be for Monken’s first season in charge of the Browns.
“Realistic Expectation: 6-11,” Davenport wrote. “From high expectations to no expectations. The past couple of years for the Browns have been very Cleveland: back-to-back last-place finishes after their surprising playoff run in 2023. That was enough to cost Kevin Stefanski his job, and when the dust settled, the franchise settled on Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as the team’s next head coach. While addressing the media, Monken said that he intends to bring out the best in his players in his first go-round as a head coach. The issue for Monken is finding the best in a bad roster, at least on offense. Cleveland’s defense should be stout again in 2026, Jim Schwartz or no Jim Schwartz. Fans expecting this team to be markedly better than it was a year ago are setting themselves up for disappointment.”
A 6-11 record would be just a one-game improvement from the 5-12 mark that ended Stefanski’s tenure after six seasons. That is unlikely to satisfy a fan base that has been through this so many times before, especially after highly successful defensive coordinator Schwartz was passed over for the job.
Monken is Cleveland’s 10th head coach since 2002, which is when the NFL went to its current eight-division format. Only the Las Vegas Raiders franchise, which recently hired Klint Kubiak as its new head coach, has had more, with 13.
Cleveland’s list includes Stefanski, Freddie Kitchens, Hue Jackson, Mike Pettine, Rob Chudzinski, Pat Shurmur, Eric Mangini, Romeo Crennel, and Butch Davis. Among them, only Stefanski had a winning record in his first season, reaching the playoffs and being named NFL Coach of the Year in 2020 after a five-win jump.
Among the others, Davis’ four-win improvement in 2001 was the largest. On the downside, Kitchens and Chudzinski both had worse records than their predecessor and were gone after just one season, and Jackson went 1-31 in his first two seasons.
At 60 years old, Monken has a great deal of experience in both the NFL and college, and he may need every bit of that knowledge for the Browns to have a winning season in 2026.
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