Cleveland is staying in-division for its new leader.
The Browns have hired former Baltimore Ravens offensive co-ordinator Todd Monken as head coach, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday.
It will mark the first NFL head-coaching job for the 59-year-old Monken, who served as Browns OC earlier for one season in 2019.
The Wheaton, Ill., native spent the past three seasons with the Ravens after three years at the University of Georgia under head coach Kirby Smart.
He last served as a head coach at the NCAA level, guiding Southern Miss from 2013 to 2015.
Despite star quarterback Lamar Jackson missing chunks of the season due to injury, Monken’s Ravens offence placed 11th in the NFL with 424 points. However, Baltimore missed the playoffs after a final-week loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a missed field goal, leading to the firing of head coach John Harbaugh.
The Browns, meanwhile, parted with head coach Kevin Stefanski after finishing last in the AFC North at 5-12.
During his six-year tenure, Stefanski started 13 different quarterbacks, including seven over the past two seasons.
The Browns thought they had their quarterback in 2022 when they released Baker Mayfield and acquired Deshaun Watson from Houston for five draft picks, including three in the first round.
Instead, the trade for Watson has set the Browns back for years.
Watson has played in only 19 games. He has gone 9-10 as Cleveland’s starter with 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and an 80.7 passer rating. He did not play this season while rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon. Watson practiced for three weeks last month, but was not activated to the roster.
The Browns have two first-round selections in April’s NFL draft, including their own sixth overall pick and the 24th overall pick, which originally belonged to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Cleveland becomes the eighth franchise to tab a new head coach this off-season. Only the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders still have a vacancy at the position.
— with files from The Associated Press
