Former Ravens offensive coordinator hired to rebuild offense that ranked last in scoring past two seasons
Todd Monken is finally getting his chance. After years of being one of the most respected offensive minds in football succeeding at Georgia, elevating Lamar Jackson in Baltimore, running efficient offenses everywhere he’s been the 59-year-old gets his first NFL head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns. The team announced Wednesday that Monken, who will turn 60 on February 5th, replaces Kevin Stefanski, fired after the Browns stumbled to 5-12 this season.
This is a long-overdue opportunity for Monken. He’s interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs over the past two offseasons the Chargers, Panthers, Jaguars, and Bears all wanted to talk to him. None of those worked out. But Cleveland finally pulled the trigger, betting that his offensive expertise can rebuild a unit that ranked dead last in scoring over the previous two seasons (15.8 points per game). That’s not just bad. That’s historically dysfunctional.
Monken’s resume speaks for itself. He helped Georgia win back-to-back national championships as offensive coordinator. He took over a Ravens offense in 2023 and helped Lamar Jackson win his second MVP award. In 2024, Baltimore’s offense finished No. 1 in the entire league for the first time in franchise history. He’s been successful everywhere he’s gone at the college and NFL levels. Now he gets to prove he can be a head coach.
“[Monken] is an outstanding leader and has a clear vision to lead our team,” Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in their statement. That conviction comes after an exhaustive search. The Browns interviewed five candidates in person Monken, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Jaguars OC Grant Udinski, Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, and Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn. Udinski withdrew. Scheelhaase stayed in LA. McDaniel and Minter withdrew. Monken was the last man standing.
From offensive success to offensive rebuild
Monken’s most immediate challenge is obvious: rebuild an offense that’s been a disaster. The Browns ranked 25th in scoring in 2024 and last in scoring in 2025. That’s two consecutive seasons of bottom-tier offensive production. For a team that should be competitive with one of the league’s best defenses, that’s an organizational failure.
The good news for Monken is his track record with offensive systems. At Georgia, he won national championships. With the Ravens, he had Lamar Jackson throwing for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns while setting career highs in yards per attempt (8.8). That’s how you elevate quarterback play through schematic excellence.
The challenge in Cleveland is different. Monken will inherit a complicated quarterback situation. Deshaun Watson is rehabbing a torn Achilles and is expected back in 2026. Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders both rookies started games this season. It’s a mess. But Monken has experience with multiple quarterback skill sets. He’s flexible enough to build an offensive system that works regardless of which QB ends up being the guy.
The Browns also lost Tommy Rees (joining the Falcons) and wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea (joining the Chiefs). So Monken has to rebuild the entire offensive coaching staff. That’s not ideal, but for someone getting his first HC job, it also means he gets to build his own infrastructure from scratch.
The Lamar Jackson chemistry issue: a potential red flag
Here’s where things get murky. Despite Monken’s offensive success with the Ravens, there were reportedly chemistry issues between him and Lamar Jackson in 2025. Jackson missed four games, didn’t finish two others, and the Ravens struggled with consistency, particularly in the red zone. One source said Monken’s hard-driving coaching style didn’t mesh well with Jackson.
That’s worth noting because Monken’s demanding, detail-oriented leadership style which the Browns organization described as appealing might not work for every quarterback. Jackson needed a different approach. The question is whether Monken can adapt his coaching style, or whether demanding accountability is just who he is.
The defensive anchor he’s inheriting
The good news is Monken gets to coach alongside one of the league’s best defenses. Jim Schwartz has built something special in Cleveland. Since 2023, the Browns’ defense has allowed the fewest yards per game (298.6) and has the best third-down conversion rate (33.8%) in the league. Myles Garrett is about to win his second Defensive Player of the Year award after breaking the single-season sack record with 23.
If Monken can rebuild the offense to be even competent forget elite, just competent the Browns could be dangerous. But right now, that’s a massive if.
