The Cleveland Browns found their head coach from the franchise that used to identify as the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland is hiring Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as their new head coach, ESPN reported on Wednesday morning. This will be the 59-year-old Monken’s first NFL head-coaching position.
Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase were also among the candidates to advance in the head-coaching process for Cleveland.
Monken was reportedly considered a top candidate to become the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants, who hired former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh for the same role; Monken was Baltimore’s offensive coordinator under Harbaugh from 2023-25.
Monken had previous offensive coordinator stints with the Georgia Bulldogs (2020-22), Browns (2019) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2016-18), among other assistant positions. Monken was also the head coach at Southern Miss from 2013-15, highlighted by a 9-5 campaign in 2015.
The first-time NFL head coach will take over a Browns’ team that’s coming off a 5-12 season and saw it miss the playoffs for a second consecutive year and fire head coach Kevin Stefanski, the 2020 and 2023 NFL Coach of the Year, after six seasons (2020-25). Cleveland has the No. 6 and 24 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft.
