The Cleveland Browns have hired Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken to become their new head coach, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday.
Monken, who turns 60 in February, will be one of the oldest first-time head coaches in NFL history. He’s spent the last three seasons in Baltimore calling plays for the offense, helping lead Lamar Jackson to an MVP and two first-team All-Pro appearances.
The Ravens’ offense took a big step back in 2025, with Jackson missing four games and playing hurt through a couple others. That said, they had the second-best score by PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric in 2024 and ranked sixth in 2023.
Todd Monken Era Begins as Browns Rebuild Around Shedeur Sanders
Cleveland has been brutal the last two seasons, but 2025 showed plenty of promise for its future. They nailed their selections in last year’s draft, particularly giving their offense some young talents like Shedeur Sanders, Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr., and undrafted free agent Isaiah Bond.
That class should be intriguing to Monken, regardless of whether or not he keeps calling plays at his new gig. The offense is still a massive work in progress, and Sanders had a rocky rookie season, but there’s enough upside on that unit to be excited about. Cleveland has two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, too.
ESPN Sources: the Cleveland Browns are hiring former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as their next head coach. pic.twitter.com/zyTpFKSuJf
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 28, 2026
As far as the Browns go, one could argue it’s a step down in terms of accolades to go from former head coach Kevin Stefanski to Monken. That said, it became increasingly clear that the fit with Stefanski wasn’t going to lead to any success any time soon.
Monken will be responsible for turning the Browns’ offense around and further developing the young skill-position players on their roster. Their personnel is a far cry from what he had to work with as offensive coordinator of the Ravens, at least in the short term. Expect an offensive-minded approach in the upcoming draft.
One curious development from the Monken hire is the reaction of current Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who was also a candidate for the head coaching vacancy. He reportedly told members of the organization he wouldn’t be returning upon learning he hadn’t received the internal promotion.
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Cleveland’s defense has ranked in the top 10 in PFSN’s NFL Defense Impact Score each of the last three seasons, a saving grace amid the team’s lack of overall success. They have the personnel to have a good defense regardless of who their DC is, but losing a defensive mind like Schwartz would be a big blow to the organization.
All told, Monken might not be the highest upside hire the Browns could’ve made at head coach, but he’s certainly one of the top offensive minds that wasn’t already in an NFL head coaching role. Time will tell if he’ll actually be the one to bring the franchise back to relevancy, but his floor seems high enough that he can get them to play better football.
