Disappointment with the Todd Monken hire isn't about him personally, but the Cleveland Browns' flawed process and past transgressions from team brass
Cleveland Browns fans have had a couple of days to let it sink in that Todd Monken is the organization's next head coach. There's been plenty of time for those upset by the move to lay down their torches and pitchforks.
After a 24-day roller coaster ride of a head coach search, landing on Monken – a soon-to-be 60-year-old, who's never been more than an OC at the NFL level – admittedly felt, well, disappointing.
Especially when the search included hot up-and-coming offensive minds like the Rams' Nate Scheelhaase and the Jaguars' Grant Udinski. Those candidates are exciting and, in many ways, symbolize a bright new future for an inept Browns offense and organization that for two-plus decades hasn't been able to get out its own way.
Monken's name isn't sexy. He's never done this before, aside from a brief three-year stint as Southern Miss head coach from 2013-2015, where he went 13-25. In some respects, it feels like he missed his window to be a head coach at this level.
On the surface, if you're frustrated by this hire, it's understandable. Those feelings aren't really about Monken, though. He's just a man who was offered his first ever NFL head coaching job and couldn't say no.
At the heart of fans' frustrations is the Cleveland Browns organization. It's simply a trust thing.
Trust is something that may not even exist between the powers that be, who run the Browns. Owner Jimmy Haslam tasked executive VP of Football Operations and GM Andrew Berry, who reportedly had an affinity for Scheelhaase.
Haslam, it appears may not have felt the same, and with the two potentially not seeing eye-to-eye on a final decision, it's fair to question how they settled on Monken. And, if it was a compromise, did they actually make the best hire?
Time will ultimately provide an answer to that one.
There's also the Jim Schwartz part of this. The Browns notably indicated to candidates that they would like to keep him on staff. Schwartz, according to reports, seemed to believe he was getting the job, so much so that he was communicating that to members of the defensive staff who were still in the building.
When news broke that Monken was the final choice, an incensed Schwartz apparently packed up his office, stormed out of the team facility and vowed he wasn't returning. Schwartz is a prideful man, and no one can really blame him for that type of reaction, especially if he was under the impression he was getting the job.
The fallout of that is a sizeable one. Face of the franchise, Myles Garrett used a popular meme via Instagram to seemingly express his disappointment in losing Schwartz. There are bound to be other defensive players who feel similarly, considering how many vouched for him after Kevin Stefanski was fired.
Maybe Monken can attempt to smooth things over with the Super Bowl-winning DC, but it seems unlikely Schwartz will be here, despite being under contract for 2026. And so the Browns' new head man just stepped foot in the store and already has a major spillage to clean up on aisle one.
To be clear, the Browns brass needed to make this hire independent of Schwartz's future. If losing him meant landing the coach they believed was best qualified for the job, so be it.
But given how it all unfolded, there's room to believe everything may not have gone according to plan. Haslam got on his soapbox the day Stefanski was fired to assert that dysfunction is not a thing in his organization; however, this search didn't necessarily reassure fans of that.
Surely, someone will be at the podium alongside Monken for his introductory press conference to clarify everything. Right?
Anyway, none of that is Monken's fault. He deserves a legitimate chance to prove whether or not he can do the thing so many other coaches have tried and failed at: turning the Browns into a consistent winner. Free of any preconceived notions about his ability.
There's signs he could. For three years in Baltimore, the Ravens offense was one of the best in football, including in 2024, when it was No. 1 in a several categories, most notably EPA per play.
In two of those three years, his rushing attack led the league in yards and twice it was No. 1 in yards per attempt. He has experience working with an assortment of different quarterbacks from two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, to gunslinger Jameis Winston, and having success with both.
His philosophy has also transcended the college game – where he won two national championships with Georgia – and the pros Of course, in Cleveland he'll be starting largely from scratch on offense. There are no MVPs or first-overall picks at QB.
Monken is plenty worthy of an opportunity, though, and there is plenty of evidence that his philosophy works.
Unfortunately, he comes to Cleveland tainted by the stains of Browns' decisions past and present. Can he rise above it and change this team's future? We're all about to find out.
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