CLEVELAND, Ohio — Deep breaths, Browns fans.
It’s been three days since the Cleveland Browns hired Todd Monken as their 19th head coach.
When they did that on Wednesday, I wrote that of their finalists, Monken was obviously the toughest sell to the fanbase, but I don’t think that’s his fault.
In any coaching search, fans are most likely to gravitate towards the unknown — especially in a post-Sean McVay era of the NFL.
Every fanbase wants their team to unearth the next offensive play-calling wunderkind. In that sense it was no surprise Browns fans in recent weeks gravitated the most towards Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski (30) and Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase (35).
Todd Monken, who turns 60 next week, meanwhile, was not on most fans radar throughout this process.
In hindsight, however, it makes total sense that he landed this job.
He was the first external interview request Cleveland made. He received a second interview fairly early in this process as well. The Browns have had three years of watching him coach against them twice a season during his tenure as Ravens OC. In that time, he was one of the best coordinators when it came to game planning for Jim Schwartz’s defenses in Cleveland.
But with time, Browns fans may warm to Monken.
For one, Monken is the perfect blend of old school and new school.
He’s a tough love kind of coach, a part of his personality that Browns fans should gravitate towards given the perceived lack of accountability I’ve heard from many fans about over the last two years.
Exhibit A that he’s tough: He survived the 2019 Freddie Kitchens year in Cleveland as offensive coordinator. If you survive that, you can survive anything.
He also stresses the importance of a run game. This past year the Ravens had the No. 2 rushing offense in the NFL, and were No. 1 in both 2024 and 2023. His expertise in that area will be key considering Cleveland is remaking a majority of its O-line this offseason, and has struggled with their run-game in a post-Nick Chubb era.
While he’s old school, Monken has embraced the modern parts of the game, particularly quarterback mobility.
By now, you’ve probably seen the clip of him floating around social media, discussing in a team meeting that a mobile QB is the key to an explosive offense.
“No chance in the world if you want to be explosive do you want a statue at quarterback,” Monken says in that clip. “We will not call another play that happens more than scramble.”
You’ve also likely seen the clips of Monken’s arrival to CrossCountry Mortgage Campus in Berea on Friday that the Browns have shared on their social media accounts.
The most noteworthy was his first meeting with QB Shedeur Sanders, who started the final seven games of the 2025 season.
He entered the league with immense celebrity status already, the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders who made waves at Jackson State and Colorado with his dad coaching him.
Of course, his entrance to the NFL wasn’t grand, as he slipped to the fifth round of the draft. While the Browns scooped him up at No. 144 overall, the Ravens tried to draft him at No. 141 in the fifth round. Sanders told the Ravens not to do so, because he didn’t want to sit behind Lamar Jackson.
“You know we tried to draft your (expletive) last year for God’s sake,” Monken tells Sanders. “It’s all worked out.”
Sanders still has immense popularity, so that sort of greeting and belief has also bought Monken some goodwill.
But it’s about more than that with Monken, and maybe that’s the ultimate point.
Monken may not have been the favorite or splashy hire among social media analysts, but he could be the right one for where the Browns are in the life cycle of their roster, as GM Andrew Berry likes to say.
He’s no-nonsense and tough, something young players need, while also being forward-thinking offensively.
With some more time to think on it, I think that’s something a majority of Browns fans will take any day.
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