The Cleveland Browns, after an extensive search for their newest head coach, decided to hire Todd Monken, the former OC for the Baltimore Ravens. Monken has also spent time with the Browns’ organization in the past, so he has a built-in comfort level with the team.
Monken wasn’t publicly viewed as the top candidate for the job, as Jim Schwartz was believed to be the team’s top option. His hiring came as a bit of a surprise, and there were some initial reports that the Browns had some internal conflict regarding the final decision. Despite the speculation, however, reporter Mary Kay Cabot refuted those claims in a recent article.
She says that the decision to hire Todd Monken was a unanimous decision by the Browns’ search committee.
“The prevailing narrative on sports talk radio and social media after the Browns hired Todd Monken as their 19th head coach was that owner Jimmy Haslam made the call and that GM Andrew Berry was overruled on Rams pass coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. The truth is, Monken, 59, was the ‘strong No. 1 choice’ of everyone on the search committee, including Berry, league sources tell Cleveland.com,” Cabot wrote.
As Cabot indicated, it appears that everyone in the Browns’ building was high on Monken, including GM Andrew Berry and owner Jimmy Haslam. Having a strong, united front heading into the 2026 season will be crucial if they all want to be on the same page.
Monken comes highly regarded from the Ravens, a team that has had great offensive success thanks to his leadership. Lamar Jackson won MVP while he was in the building, and the Ravens have been regarded as a top 10 offensive unit for several seasons.
If Monken can bring a semblance of that vision and expertise into his time with the Browns, this hire, while potentially surprising to the general public, will be worth its weight in gold. They’ve had numerous head coaches throughout the years, each with their own agenda and thoughts about how to transform the team, but he might be just the one to bring it all together.
NEXT: Browns Star Is Already Buying Into Change Under Todd Monken
