Todd Monken has the right credentials to lead this offense and young roster.
Why new Browns head coach Todd Monken is the right choice to revive the offense and lead the young roster: Mary Kay CabotCLEVELAND, Ohio — New Browns head coach Todd Monken has the perfect track record and demeanor to transform the sluggish offense and lead the young roster back to winning.
His tenure as the Browns’ 19th coach will begin right off the bat with a healthy dose of adversity, but with 37 years of coaching experience and a no-nonsense approach, he’s built for it. The Browns’ beloved defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, was so upset about being passed over for the head coaching job that he told staffers he’s not sticking around, according to a report by NFL Network. Monken, who’s been open to keeping Schwartz from the jump, sources tell cleveland.com, will undoubtedly try to talk to Schwartz about staying, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be open to such a conversation. Schwartz will likely have other opportunities, possibly in San Francisco and elsewhere after presiding over one of the best defenses in the NFL over the past three seasons. The possible departure of Schwartz will have repercussions, with premier defenders such as Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit all stumping for him to get the job. But the Browns were willing to take that risk to bring their offense up to playoff standards, which is their primary mission this offseason. ‘I’d rather be winning in Alaska than losing in San Diego’: What Todd Monken’s words say about Browns’ new coachBrowns hire Todd Monken, what’s next?: Wednesday’s Sports 4 CLE The Browns’ third finalist for the job, Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, has the brilliant offensive mind the Browns were seeking, but his resume paled in comparison to that of Monken, who has more than three decades of coaching experience, including 11 in the NFL. He’s also been an NFL coordinator for seven seasons, twice boasting the No. 1 offense in the league, once with the Ravens in 2024, and once with the Bucs in 2018. For the Ravens, it marked their first time in team history atop the perch. While Scheelhaase has never called a play in the NFL, Monken has called the Ravens’ high-flying offense the past three seasons, leading it to an elite level during that span. In his first season in that role in 2023, Monken guided Lamar Jackson to his second NFL MVP award and was a finalist for AP Assistant Coach of the Year, which was won by Schwartz. During Monken’s three seasons in Baltimore, the Ravens finished top five in a number of key categories, including first in rushing yards with 8,512 — 166.9 yards per game — second in scrimmage yards with 19,860, and third in points per game with 27.9. Baltimore was also third with 70 rushing touchdowns and fifth with 91 receiving touchdowns. Running back Derrick Henry led all NFL players with 4,683 rushing yards and 44 rushing touchdowns from 2023-25, and led all NFL players with 104 rushes of 10-plus yards from 2023-25, which is good news for Quinshon Judkins. Monken also helped lead the Georgia Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships as coordinator and play-caller in 2021-22, and turned around the Southern Miss program as head coach from 2013-15, his only other head coach gig. In his second stint at Oklahoma in 2011-12 as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, he set school records for total offensive yards, passing yards, completion percentage, points scored and passing touchdowns. As offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2016-18, his offense rewrote the club record books, leading the NFL with 14,130 total passing yards in that span. At every stop, Monken has led explosive offenses, and has flown under the radar despite having some of the best credentials in the NFL. What’s more, he’s a tough-minded, tough-talking, decisive leader, which is what this young roster needs. He’s seen it all in his 37 years, and won’t hesitate to discipline players, command a room, and lead his staff. He’s also down-to-earth and likable, which he demonstrated in his lone season here under Freddie Kitchens in 2019. Monken was tasked with holding together one of the most dysfunctional offenses in team history, called by the overmatched and disorganized Kitchens. Despite Monken calling the No. 1 offense the year before in Tampa, Kitchens refused to let him handle the chore here. It led to Monken referring to his Thursday media availabilities as his “weekly dentist appointments” given that he had to answer for the head-scratching play calls from the previous game. Kitchens was one-and-done after that 6-10 joke of a season, and Monken fled to Georgia, where he soon basked in the glory of the back-to-back national championships. If Scheelhaase had been named head coach and Schwartz bolted and players revolted, that would’ve been a tall order for a 35-year-old who’s never been a coordinator, and who’s spent only two seasons in the NFL. Monken, who dealt with all of the chaos surrounding Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry here in 2019, knows how to handle adversity and difficult personalities. He knows Myles Garrett from that season, and will understand the importance of mollifying him if Schwartz leaves. Good leaders realize that players will respond to coaches who bring out the best in them, which is why the defenders loved Schwartz. He helped coach Garrett to what will soon be two NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, one in 2023 and one in 2025. Monken will surely find a suitable replacement if it comes to that. He has certainly been around some excellent defensive coaches, including former Ravens defensive coordinator and current Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, who was there in 2023 with Monken. That season, the Ravens finished first in points allowed with 16.5, first in sacks with 60, and sixth in yards allowed with 301.4. He knows all about tough, aggressive defenses, and will do whatever it takes to keep this one humming along. In fact, during his three seasons with the Ravens, Baltimore finished a combined ninth in points against, while the Browns finished 18th. They also finished second in sacks in 2024 with 54 after finishing first in 2023. Granted, Monken will only be as good as his quarterback, and the Browns have got to get that position right. Browns GM Andrew Berry stated at the Kevin Stefanski firing press conference that QB will be their No. 1 priority, and that the new head coach will have a lot of input. That’s as it should be. A former college quarterback, Monken knows the position inside and out and is eminently qualified to help decide on his man. As of now, he has Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel in the room, but the Browns have the No. 6 and No. 27 picks, and enough cap space to acquire another bridge QB if necessary. Presumably, Watson and Sanders will compete for the starting job unless the Browns land an obvious starter. And Monken was with the Ravens in 2023 when Watson orchestrated a 33-31 victory in Baltimore on a bum ankle and what proved to be a fractured shoulder, going 14 of 14 passing after the break and overcoming a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit for the huge win. Monken was also part of the Ravens staff that tried to draft Sanders in the fifth round, but who was told no by Sanders because he didn’t want to sit behind Jackson. Perhaps he had some say in that decision and sees something in the Browns’ second-year pro. Sanders posted Monken’s hiring announcement on his Instagram story, with the caption “Time for work,” with a fire emoji and his trademark watch.He’ll also be able to assemble a premier offensive staff, and has already started by bringing over highly regarded offensive line coach George Warhop, who was with the Browns from 2009-13. He’ll undoubtedly lure more of his trusted Ravens aides in the coming days. He might have to fill all three coordinator spots, with special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone headed to the Rams, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees joining Stefanski with the Falcons, and Schwartz seemingly gone. But he’s got 37 years of coaching rosters with which to fill such vacancies. The Browns interviewed other excellent offensive candidates, including Jaguars coordinator Grant Udinski and former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, who both removed themselves from consideration. The Browns were intrigued by the two young, rising stars in Udinski and Scheelhaase, but in the end, they couldn’t hold a candle to Monken. He was the first interview request they made, and the second candidate to interview a second time, after Schwartz. He was high on their list from the jump, and never left that perch. Someone was going to have to blow them away to beat him out, and no one did. Young hotshots are exciting and new, but the older, grizzled veteran who can pull this offense and team forward is exactly what the Browns need.Mary Kay Cabot has more than 30 years experience covering the Cleveland Browns for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com, and became only the second female in Pro Football Hall of Fame history to win the Bill Nunn...
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