Monken in as new Browns Head Coach

Three weeks after firing two-time Head Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski, the Cleveland Browns have found their next Head Coach in former Ravens Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken.

Initially, I was positive about the new hire. Excited? No. But I think things could've been a lot worse. But before I go into the possible positives and potential negatives of the Browns' hire of Todd Monken, let's do a deep dive on his background.

Who is Todd Monken?

Monken is a week from turning 60 years old, and was born on February 5th, 1966. But his first NFL coaching job was as the Wide Receivers Coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2007.

From there, he's bounced back and forth between the college and the professional ranks, with stops at Oklahoma State (OC/QB Coach, 2011-2012), Southern Miss (Head Coach, 2013-2015), Buccaneers (OC/WR Coach, 2016-2018), in Cleveland (OC, 2019), Georgia (OC/QB Coach, 2020-2022), and in Baltimore for the Ravens (OC, 2023-2025).

I don't know how to take the fact that he's had several coaching stops. But the good thing is, he's been hired several times as an offensive coordinator, and obviously has some expertise on that side of the ball.

More recently when he was the Offensive Coordinator for the Ravens, Baltimore led the NFL in total yards and yards per play in 2024. I yet don't know what the new-look Browns offense will look like under Monken. But hopefully there's some degree of explosiveness once everything is in place. The Browns probably won't be one of the more explosive offenses in the league even if things go right. But hopefully Monken helps create enough explosiveness that it'll keep opposing defenses honest, and punish them for being too aggressive.

Hiring Monken: The Positives

When I first saw that Todd Monken was hired as our next head coach, my initial reaction was actually a positive one. Why?

For starters, he seems to be one of the game's more respected offensive minds. Like I said earlier in the article, he's had a lot of different coaching stops. But he keeps getting hired? Why? He must be doing something right on that side of the ball.

The second positive, is he's a veteran coach who has 11 years of NFL experience. He knows what the rhythm and feel of NFL locker rooms are like. These aren't college kids. They're grown men with families. And it's my personal opinion that NFL players would be more likely to respect someone who's been around the block a few times as their boss, than a talented but young guy with little to no previous NFL coaching experience.

The third positive I see is more of a potential one. Monken and the Browns still have to get this one right for it to really work. But if they do get it right? Oh mama...

Monken is an offensive expert, and the Browns have been groping around in the dark for an eternity for the quarterback who can lead them out of football hell. This is where I believe Monken can really make a difference if he's allowed to do his job, and Jimmy Haslam restrains himself. Monken can either choose to go all-in on Shedeur Sanders, and play a big role in helping him develop and grow into a true franchise quarterback, or he can tell the front office what he's looking for in a future signal caller. I think they'd be more likely to take his input seriously.

But what are the possible downsides to the Browns hiring Todd Monken? There are a few we need to take a look at for a more honest take on him.

Hiring Monken: The Negatives and Question Marks

The biggest negative I see with Todd Monken thus far, is that he has no NFL head coaching experience. His only head coaching experience of any kind was a three-year stint with Southern Miss in the college ranks before he left to become the Bucs OC and Wide Receivers Coach. He went 13-25. Not good.

Next, this one's more of a potential negative. But if it happens, it could be a MASSIVE one in terms of the Browns' overall continuity: What Monken decides to do with Jim Schwartz. I really hope Monken keeps him. For all their struggles last season, the Browns still showed some strength and flashes of brilliance on defense. They showed shades of the unit that put the rest of the NFL on notice in 2023. The Browns have plenty of areas where they have a lot of work to do. This area is not one of them. If Schwartz is left alone and allowed to regroup for at least another season, the Browns could again be in a lot of games in 2026 from the strength of their defense alone.

I know new head coaches often want their own guys, and turnover happens. But I really hope Monken strongly considers keeping Jim Schwartz on his staff as the Browns' Defensive Coordinator.

Thirdly, this one is also a potential negative. But it also has the potential to really set the Browns back if it happens: If Todd Monken decides to act as his own OC.

Folks, I have seen enough of Kevin Stefanski trying to both manage the team, and call plays. It's given me some serious mental pain on Sundays. It's the football version of insanity. And if Todd Monken follows suit, I'm afraid more of the same will continue to happen. I do not understand why it seems like so many coaches think they can call their own plays and manage the locker room, and do both of them well. It rarely works.

In my eyes, being on an NFL coaching staff looks like it's an extremely intensive job. Meaning that each coach, whether it's the head coach or anyone else on his staff, needs to devote all their time and energy to their specific role.

For position coaches, they need to make their units the best they can be, and so on, up the chain of command. But when it comes to the head coach, he is supposed to be a leader of men, an anchoring and guiding leadership force in the locker room, handle the day-to-day macro level stuff, and trust his assistants to handle their roles. If he starts doing too much or micromanaging, things fall apart.

There's a lot set to happen between now and the next step of the season in Free Agency. But I'll be keeping a close eye on everything up in Cleveland!

GO BROWNS!

Sources

New York Times

Sports Illustrated

ESPN

Picture Credit

Cleveland Browns