This story has been updated with new information.
The Cleveland Browns’ search for a new coach has reached its conclusion. Todd Monken, who spent the past three seasons as offensive coordinator for the rival Baltimore Ravens, was hired as Kevin Stefanski’s replacement Wednesday, Jan. 28.
The choice came down to one of three: Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and Monken, who was ultimately the choice. The team’s decision makers were in Berea discussing those options throughout the day Jan. 27.
Eventually, the journey that began with Kevin Stefanski’s firing Jan. 5 and brought polarizing media attention ended with a fresh face.
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So, how did we get here? Here’s a look back at the twists and turns of the coaching search as chronicled by the Beacon Journal, starting with the day after Stefanski was fired:
Tuesday, Jan 6: Browns request interview with Ravens OC Todd Monken
Monken becomes the first known interview request the Browns make to an external candidate. Monken had been the Ravens’ offensive coordinator since 2023 after having been at the University of Georgia from 2020-22, winning two national championships.
Monken was the Browns’ offensive coordinator in 2019 under Freddie Kitchens. Prior to that, he was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator from 2016-18, and was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ wide receivers coach from 2007-10.
Tuesday, Jan. 6: John Harbaugh fired by the Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens turned the coaching market in its head a little after 5 p.m. Jan. 6 by firing head coach John Harbaugh. The Ravens missed the playoffs and finished 8-9 after Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard field goal as time expired that would’ve beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers and won the AFC North title two nights earlier.
Harbaugh is one of only three head coaches in the Ravens’ history, which started in 1996 when the original Browns moved to Baltimore. Now it’s a question if he’d be getting a call from the current Browns about their job opening.
Spoiler alert: Harbaugh took the New York Giants job.
Tuesday, Jan. 6: Browns ask to speak with Seahawks DC Aden Durde
The England-born Aden Durde, currently the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator, was the next external candidate to emerge. Durde was born in Middlesex, England, and started his NFL coaching career as a coaching intern for the Dallas Cowboys in 2014-15. He’s also coached with the Atlanta Falcons (2016, 2018-20) and the Cowboys again as their defensive line coach from 2021-23.
Durde will be coaching in the Super Bowl Feb. 8.
Wednesday, Jan. 7: Browns request permission to speak to Bengals OC Dan Pitcher
External candidate No. 3 comes into focus: Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, whom the Browns request permission to speak with.
Pitcher has been the offensive coordinator for Cincinnati the last two seasons after Brian Callahan left for the Tennessee Titans head coaching job. He was the quarterbacks coach before that, working with Joe Burrow.
Pitcher has a connection with Berry, having worked together with the Indianapolis Colts from 2012-15. Pitcher was a scouting assistant from 2012-13 and then a pro scout from 2014-15, the same years Berry was the Colts’ pro scouting coordinator.
Thursday, Jan. 8: Jim Schwartz, Tommy Rees sit down for 1st interviews
The first actual interviews went in-house. Stefanski’s two coordinators, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, meet with the general manager Andrew Berry and others to talk about the job.
Rees would eventually go to Atlanta and join Stefanski there as his play-calling offensive coordinator. Schwartz, well, you know where he stands.
Friday, Jan. 9: Dan Pitcher, Aden Durde go through virtual interviews with Browns
The Browns added two more interviews on Jan. 9, raising the total completed by the end of the day to four. They conducted virtual interviews with Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde and Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher.
That would be the end of both coaches’ parts in the search process. Neither got a second, in-person interview.
Friday, Jan. 9: Jesse Minter joins list of candidates Browns request an interview with
Add a new name to the list of candidates the Browns wanted to interview. They requested permission to speak with Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
Minter, 42, has spent the last two seasons as the Chargers defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh. Prior to that, he was the defensive coordinator at Michigan (2022-23) and Vanderbilt (2021) after having spent four years in multiple roles with the Baltimore Ravens.
Saturday, Jan. 10: Todd Monken gets 1st in-person interview for Browns job
The Browns conducted their fifth interview when they spoke with Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken on Jan. 10. The only known interview request that had not resulted in an interview yet was Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who has said he was focusing on the Chargers’ playoff game against the New England Patriots on Jan. 11 before dealing with any head-coaching interviews.
Saturday, Jan. 10: Mike McDaniel enters chat while John Harbaugh decides who to chat with
Two recently-fired head coaches remained on the Browns’ radar. The team was doing its “diligence” on both former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel and former Baltimore Ravens John Harbaugh, with an interview scheduled for Jan. 12 with McDaniel.
Harbaugh, though, remained unscheduled for now. He told Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer he was using the weekend to narrow it down to three or four teams, according to Glazer, that he would actually sit down with and interview.
Sunday, Jan. 11: Nate Scheelhaase’s name 1st emerges as interview request
The Browns started digging into one of the young up-and-comers in the coaching business in Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. The 35-year-old is in his second season working for Sean McVay after a nearly decade-long stretch coaching in college.
The former Illinois quarterback started coaching at his alma mater in 2015. He moved to Iowa State in 2018 and worked there until 2023.
Monday, Jan. 12: Browns interview former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel
The Browns conducted their sixth interview when they spoke virtually with former Miami coach Mike McDaniel. McDaniel, who was 35-33 in four seasons with the Dolphins with two playoff appearances, spent the 2014 season as the wide receivers coach under Mike Pettine with the Browns. He left at the same time then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan did after that season to go to the Atlanta Falcons.
Monday, Jan. 12: Jaguars OC Grant Udinski emerges as Browns candidate with request
The Browns brought Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski into the conversation with an interview request. Udinski just turned 30 on Jan. 12, the same day the Browns put in the interview request for him and a day after the Jaguars’ 13-win season ended with an AFC wild card loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Udinski didn’t call the plays in Jacksonville with head coach Liam Coen doing so. He spent the 2019 season as a graduate assistant at Baylor before jumping to the NFL with Matt Rhule for two seasons with the Carolina Panthers as a coaching assistant in 2020-21.
Udinski moved to the Minnesota Vikings in 2022 to work under Kevin O’Connell, first as the assistant to the head coach and special projects, then as assistant quarterbacks coach in 2023 before becoming assistant offensive coordinator and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024. He moved to the Jaguars this season when Coen was hired.
Friday, Jan. 16: Jesse Minter, Nate Scheelhaase have initial interviews with Browns
The Browns will have a pair of virtual interviews with Los Angeles assistant coaches today to make it eight so far. They will be talking to both Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
Both moved on to the second round. Only one actually interviewed a second time.
Saturday, Jan. 17: Grant Udinski gets 1st interview with Browns
Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski interviewed virtually with the Browns. It was the ninth interview they’d completed in the initial round.
Monday, Jan. 19: Jim Schwartz gets 1st of Browns’ 2nd round of interviews
The second round of interviews, all of which are in person, started for the Browns. It started with a familiar face, their own defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz.
Schwartz was one of six candidates who were expected to get second interviews. One of those, Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, couldn’t be interviewed until Jan. 26 due to his participation in the NFC championship game.
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Ulinski and Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter also were on the list to get second interviews.
Tuesday, Jan. 20: Todd Monken is 2nd to get 2nd interview with Browns
Monken becomes the second candidate to complete a second interview. It would be a few days before the third would take place.
Tuesday, Jan. 20: Mike McDaniel cancels interview, agrees to be Chargers OC
Former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel canceled his interview with the Browns, which was scheduled for the next day. Hours later, it came out that he had agreed to terms to become the Chargers’ next offensive coordinator.
Thursday, Jan. 22: Jesse Minter, Browns mutually agree to cancel interview as he takes Ravens job
Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and the Browns mutually agreed to cancel their scheduled second interview on Jan. 22. The reason why Minter’s interview with the Browns was canceled crystalized hours later when the Baltimore Ravens announced him as their new head coach.
Baltimore was always seen as the likely landing spot for the now-former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator considering he coached there from 2017-20.
Friday, Jan. 23: Grant Udinski has his 2nd interview with Browns
The Browns had their second, in-person interview with Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski. He was the third candidate to complete a second interview with the team.
The Browns were scheduled to meet with Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase on Jan. 26 in Los Angeles. They also had to meet with another candidate in person in order to comply with the Rooney Rule.
Saturday, Jan. 24: Anthony Lynn sits down with Browns for in-person interview
The Browns added an in-person interview on Jan. 24 when they sat down with Washington Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn. Lynn was the fourth candidate to interview in person and the first to count toward Rooney Rule compliance.
The Browns wrapped up their second round of interviews when they sat down with Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. The interview took place in Los Angeles, where Scheelhaase returned to overnight after the Rams’ season ended with a loss in the NFC championship game at the Seattle Seahawks.
The fact the Rams’ season is over meant the Browns could move forward with a final decision regardless of the pick after they talk to Scheelhaase. NFL rules prohibit teams from hiring another ream’s employee until their season’s over.
Scheelhaase joins Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and Washington Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn as the five to get the final round of interviews.
The Browns lose another candidate, as Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski pulled out of the search. Udinski was one of the five finalists for the job, and seen as one of the favorites.
Udinski had received a large bump to his deal with the Jaguars, which was part of the reason why he withdrew.
The Browns contingent that was in Los Angeles on Monday to interview Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase was on its way back to Cleveland that night. A source told the Beacon Journal no decision was expected Monday night on the next coach, but “maybe tomorrow,” meaning Tuesday, Jan. 27.
It’s believed that it’s down to Scheelhaase and Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz for the job. Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Washington Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn are the only other candidates known to still be in the mix after Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski withdrew from consideration earlier in the day.
The early night’s chill did not bring with it a decision on who the next coach would be. Scheelhaase has had some social media chatter behind him, but nothing finalized or closed to official on a deal.
All three remain in the discussion.
After a long and winding coaching search to replace the fired Kevin Stefanski, the Browns Wednesday announced they’ll be hiring former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as their new head coach.
Though he was an under-the-radar choice, the Browns clearly thought highly of Monken throughout their search.
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
