The Cleveland Browns will have a new head coach on the sidelines for the 2026 season. Todd Monken, who was with the team as an offensive coordinator in 2019, left the team for the University of Georgia
to be that team’s offensive coordinator. He spent two years with the Bulldogs before returning to the NFL as an offensive coordinator, this time for the Baltimore Ravens.
Monken had a successful tenure with the Ravens as he helped guide Baltimore to one of the more prolific offenses in the NFL as well as helping quarterback Lamar Jackson achieve another MVP award in 2023.
As for Monken, this will be his first NFL head coaching job. For this, we will grade the hire the Browns made from process and outcome standpoints.
Process
In terms of the process of choosing the head coach, the Browns found a way to struggle. In terms of their approach, Cleveland had the right mindset and ideas, but the execution of them was poor. It was more the person who owns the team than the people who were in charge of the search. General manager Andrew Berry had an idea of who he wanted to lead the charge. Young, innovative-minded head coach, and he used the term “forward-thinking”.
Monken was interviewed by the Browns, but he wasn’t considered the first choice in the opinion of many. How could he be “forward-thinking” at almost 60 years old (at the time)? Monken was believed to be considered the third option behind current defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and current Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. Monken found a way to get the job, but the hiring process could’ve been better.
For good and bad, the search process also didn’t rush to fulfill the Rooney Rule. While the team wanted to wait until it could interview Scheelhaase, it allowed everyone to believe that the Rams coach was the priority over those already interviewed.
As said before, owner Jimmy Haslem getting involved in the search and undermining the process leaves a damper on how the team went about finding a new head coach. It is his money, so it is his decision, but that does not make it a good one. Instead of letting the people he hired make the right decisions, Haslem forced himself into those conversations. Instead, the owner and GM came to a compromise, and Monken was chosen as the safer option. The process could have been better, but the Browns barely get a passing grade due to the owner’s interference.
Grade for the Hiring Process: D
Hiring
As for the hire itself, it’s a safe hire. For what it’s worth, Haslem wasn’t comfortable giving the reins to someone who was young and inexperienced in Scheelhaase. Instead, the team opted for Monken. Monken has shown he can be successful in the NFL with a stable offense, which is something the Browns don’t have at the moment. Monken’s results in Baltimore speak for themselves.
- 2023: 6th in EPA/per play, 4th in success rate (helped Lamar Jackson win another MVP)
- 2024: 1st in EPA/per play, 2nd in success rate
- 2025: 13th in EPA/per play, 13th in success rate
The results speak for themselves. Monken’s has a mixture of establishing the run, as well as complementing the passing game to go with it. One thing Monken loves to use is 12 personnel (1 running back, two tight ends). In Baltimore, one of the reasons why their offense was effective was a strong running game with a balanced passing attack. Of course, when you have quarterback Lamar Jackson, running back Derrick Henry, and tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, that can make life easier for anyone.
The Browns do not have that currently, but they have a budding star in Harold Fannin Jr and two exciting running backs in Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson. Judging by the hires Monken has reportedly made on the offensive side of the ball, he is trying to recreate what he did in Baltimore. The only thing missing in this offense is a solid quarterback and a competent offensive line.
Monken is analytics-driven and he’s going to tell you how it is, which is not a bad thing in terms of his coaching style. It might not be the attractive hire, but Monken is someone who can get successful results in terms of building an offense.
The Monken hire also ended up costing the team their defensive coordinator, and this must be factored into the grade.
Grade for the hire: C+, but the real grade is to be determined after a couple of seasons. We all hope it turns into an A+!
