Former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken wasn’t many people’s first choice to be the next Cleveland Browns head coach, but after an all-encompassing 23-day coaching search, he wound up finally getting his first head coaching gig after decades in the sport. Now that everyone has had some time to digest the move, excitement is starting to build as so many former colleagues and players have spoken out in support of Monken.
It’s a risky hire for general manager Andrew Berry because there was an unusual amount of high-profile candidates on the open market this offseason, but the Browns went with a guy who is 60 and has never been a head coach before. That’s not a knock on Monken, but regardless of how you look at it, this was an unconventional hire that will require some clarity, which Berry recently provided.
Berry recently did a sit-down interview with the team’s official YouTube channel to discuss the Monken hiring.
“With Todd, we love just his performance track record, what we heard about him with young players, his offensive track record was, quite honestly, unprecedented in terms of being on the open market. Pro, college, mobile quarterbacks, limited quarterbacks, star quarterbacks, air-raid system, power run game, it’s very rare that you can find a coach that doesn’t have a system but it truly fluid in adapting it to the personnel,” Berry said.
He compared where the team is now to where the team was after the 2020 season, where the priority was adding weapons and anchors around former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield. That’s around the time Kevin Stefanski came in and helped elevate the offense, and the hope is that Monken can do the same.
Monken impressed a lot of people in recent years by winning a pair of National Championships at Georgia with Stetson Bennett at quarterback before joining the Ravens and helping guide Lamar Jackson to another MVP and Derrick Henry to a 1,900-yard season in his 30s.
Again, this wasn’t the headline-inducing hire, but it could be exactly what the team needs right now. There is no questioning Monken’s accomplishments, and it will be fun to see how he helps overhaul this roster.
NEXT: Analyst Says Browns Could Find Steal In 2026 Draft
