One of Todd Monken's early important tasks will be to replace popular defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
The final twist in the Browns’ 23-day coaching search hit on Wednesday like a blitz from the blind side.
Todd Monken is in as Browns head coach.
Jim Schwartz is out as defensive coordinator. Not officially, but probably.
That was the bottom line of the prolonged, unorthodox search that began after the firing of Kevin Stefanski on January 5 and ended in Monken being named the 19th full-time coach of the Browns and sixth in the 13 years of the Haslam family ownership.
Monken, most recently John Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens, was the surprise final choice from among four finalists that included Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, Washington Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn, and Schwartz.
Other candidates interviewed were Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, and former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. McDaniel, Udinski and McDaniel withdrew from consideration for other opportunities.
The Browns were trying to marry Scheelhaase, 35, or Monken, 59, with Schwartz to preserve the team’s second-ranked defense and respect the wishes of prominent defensive players such as Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Grant Delpit, and Alex Wright.
Either the Browns had reason to feel Schwartz was willing to stay as coordinator if he didn’t get the head coach job or they hoped he would. But it appears not to be.
After Haslam chose Monken as head coach, Schwartz reportedly was outraged and told his staff he was leaving. Later, an NFL Network report said Schwartz cleaned out his belongings in his office.
Schwartz has a year to go on his contract, and the Browns may hope Monken could talk Schwartz into reconsidering. But Haslam has previously not held disgruntled coaches to their contracts, most prominently Kyle Shanahan and Bill Callahan.
Monken was a surprise final choice because it appeared that GM Andrew Berry, the head of the search committee, favored Scheelhaase, a young, up-and-comer who breathed the air of revered Rams coach Sean McVay the past two years. But after a seven-hour in-person meeting on Monday with Scheelhaase and a follow-up Zoom conference the next day, Haslam gave the job to Monken, whose only head coaching experience in 36 years was a three-year stint at Southern Mississippi, where he was 13-25.
Monken was offensive coordinator under Browns coach Freddie Kitchens in 2019. He held similar titles in the college ranks with Eastern Michigan, Oklahoma State and Georgia, and in the NFL with Tampa Bay and Baltimore.
“We are very excited to name Todd Monken the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns,” owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. “Todd is highly intelligent, and his experienced, innovative offensive mindset has been at the forefront of constructing productive and successful offenses at the NFL and collegiate level over the last 20 years. He is an outstanding leader and has a clear vision to lead our team as a strong communicator who values trust with his players but also accountability and preparation. In our committee’s exhaustive reference work on Todd, his commitment to player development was evident, and his tough and straightforward coaching is respected by the players and the coaches he’s worked with, putting our team in a position to succeed while developing our players to maximize their talents. We welcome Todd, Terri, and the rest of the Monken family back to the Browns and look forward to him establishing the winning culture that will lead our team to the success our fans so deserve.”
Berry said in the statement, “Todd has a varied and diverse background that we found as a particularly appealing match for our team at this stage in its life cycle. He has a direct, demanding, and detail-oriented leadership style that will create a great incubator for a young team. His successful offensive track record at both the pro and college level with a variety of offensive systems and QB skill sets will allow maximum flexibility as we make several, long-term investments on that side of the ball. The lessons he learned from John Harbaugh and [Georgia head coach] Kirby Smart as well as his demonstrated track record turning around Southern Miss have shown us that he has a full understanding of what the position requires and the capacity to execute. We cannot wait to get started and we welcome Todd, Terri and Travis to Cleveland.”
The Browns included no comments from Monken in their official news release of the hiring. Monken is expected to be introduced early next week.
Monken has the reputation of a no-nonsense, hard-driving coach who holds his players and himself accountable for results on the field. Sources said those qualities, plus his roots in the Southeastern Conference in stints with LSU and Georgia, connected with Haslam.
Monken most likely also had an edge on Scheelhaase in ability to assemble a coaching staff because of his NFL experience. That was evident when Monken reportedly lured offensive line coach George Warhop from the Harbaugh’s former staff with the Ravens.
Warhop is a veteran O-line coach with nine NFL teams. He held the position with the Browns from 2009-13 under head coaches Eric Mangini, Pat Shurmur and Rob Chudzinski.
Monken’s expediency in hiring an offensive line coach speaks to the importance of the position; the Browns may break in five new starters on the line in the coming season.
But of equal importance to Monken’s success will be with whom he chooses to replace Schwartz, who was beloved by the Browns’ best players on the team.
On the day Stefanski was fired, Berry sounded unconcerned about upsetting the locker room in the event of a possible Schwartz departure.
“Ultimately, our thought will be, ‘Hey, let’s find the right head coach, let’s find the right leader,’” Berry said. “Because schemes, they really do come and go.”