The Cleveland Browns hired Todd Monken to be the team’s next head coach, and people aren’t happy.
Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz isn’t happy because he didn’t get the job, and Browns fans aren’t happy because Monken isn’t the young, innovative offensive coach they were hoping for. While it could take years to give the hire a fair grade, fans are already marking up the decision in red ink.
While Monken will soon turn 60 years old, and could cost the Browns their defensive staff, the reality is he offers a lot of what Cleveland needs. He’s a successful offensive coach that has a history with helping quarterbacks develop, and every Browns fan can acknowledge the team needed someone who fit that background.
While the fan base would have loved for a coach with those characteristics to come in a newer package, Monken could prove to be exactly who Cleveland needs.
Todd Monken has many of the characteristics Browns fans wanted in a coach
Cleveland very clearly needed a coach who could help the offense score more points and develop young quarterbacks; Monken has shown the ability to do both things. In his three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore’s offense was consistently a top unit, averaging 28.4 points per game in 2023, 30.5 in 2024, and 24.9 in 2025.
Two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson was the engine of those successful offenses. While Jackson was already an elite, MVP quarterback before Monken arrived in Baltimore, his game went to another level once Monken became his offensive coordinator.
Jackson had his two best seasons in 2023 and 2024, making a significant jump in production as a passer. Monken was able to build an offense that married an elite run game with a true dual-threat quarterback, and Jackson thrived as the best player in the NFL.
The new Browns head coach won’t be bringing Jackson to Cleveland with him, but he will be bringing his mind and experience that built successful offenses before his time in Baltimore. Monken was the offensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs when they won back-to-back national championships with Stetson Bennett as their quarterback.
He now joins the Browns, where Shedeur Sanders is projected to be the starting quarterback heading into 2026. Cleveland has a lot of work to do to add to the offense this offseason, but if the franchise can build up the offensive line and wide receiver unit, Monken could develop Sanders into a really good pro quarterback, who leads a productive offense.