Monken to Cleveland: What This Means for Shedeur Sanders 🏈

January 28, 2026
Image Source :: Kyusung Gong, AP

The wait is finally over, Cleveland.

After weeks of rumors, interviews, and a lot of nervous refreshing on social media, the Cleveland Browns have their man. Todd Monken is the new head coach.

It’s been a long, weird January for Browns fans. We watched Kevin Stefanski get fired and then immediately land on his feet in Atlanta. We saw young guys like Nate Scheelhaase and familiar faces like Jim Schwartz get deep into the interview process. But in the end, the Haslam family went with experience. They went with the guy who just spent three years making the Baltimore Ravens offense look terrifying.

The news broke on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. Reports say Monken beat out Schwartz and Scheelhaase for the job. It’s a big move. It’s a bold move. And honestly, it’s exactly the kind of shake-up this team needs after the disaster that was the 2025 season.

Who is Todd Monken?

If you haven’t been paying attention to the AFC North, you might just know the name "Monken" from his quick stop in Cleveland back in 2019. But a lot has changed since then.

Todd Monken has spent the last three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. You know, the team that has been beating up on the Browns twice a year? In 2023, he helped Lamar Jackson win his second MVP award. By 2024, his offense was ranked number one in the entire league.

Before that, he was winning national championships at the University of Georgia. He called the plays for the Bulldogs when they went back-to-back. He knows how to win. He knows how to score points. And right now, scoring points is something the Browns have forgotten how to do.

This isn’t his first time in the big chair, either. He was the head coach at Southern Miss from 2013 to 2015, where he took a team that went 0-12 and turned them into a bowl team in three years. That’s the kind of turnaround artist Cleveland needs right now.

The Mess He Inherits

Let’s be real. The Todd Monken Browns era is starting with some heavy baggage.

The 2025 season was a nightmare. The team finished 5-12. The offense was ranked 31st in points scored. It was painful to watch.

The biggest headache is still the quarterback room. Deshaun Watson didn’t play a single snap in 2025 because of that Achilles injury, but his contract is still hanging over the franchise like a dark cloud. He’s got a salary cap hit of over $80 million in 2026. Owner Jimmy Haslam even called the trade a "big swing and miss" last year.

Then you have the kids. The Browns drafted two quarterbacks last year: Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth.

Shedeur Sanders ended up being the talk of the league, but maybe not for the reasons you think. He started seven games and threw 10 interceptions. But somehow, he got voted into the Pro Bowl? Yeah, it was weird. A lot of people called it a popularity contest, but he’s here, and he’s got talent. Monken has to figure out if Sanders is the future, or if the team needs to blow it all up again.

Why Not Jim Schwartz?

This was the biggest drama of the search. Jim Schwartz, the defensive coordinator, was a finalist for the head coaching job.

The defense was actually good last year. Like, really good. They were ranked number one in yards allowed. Schwartz is popular in the locker room. Haslam loves him.

So, why didn’t he get the job?

It seems the Browns wanted an offensive mind. You can’t win in the NFL scoring 16 points a game. Hiring a defensive head coach might have felt like more of the same. The rumor is that Monken is open to keeping Schwartz as his defensive coordinator. If they can pull that off—keeping the elite defense while Monken fixes the broken offense—that could be the "magic fix" everyone is hoping for.

The Competition

Monken wasn’t the only name in the hat.

Nate Scheelhaase, the passing game coordinator for the Rams, was a serious contender. He’s young, smart, and comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree. But hiring a 35-year-old into this chaotic situation would have been a massive risk.

There was also Grant Udinski, the Jaguars offensive coordinator. He was in the mix for a minute but withdrew his name from the Browns search earlier in the week. And we can't forget Anthony Lynn, who had an interview but didn't make the final cut.

In the end, the Browns chose the battle-tested option. They chose the guy with the Todd Monken NFL resume that screams "I can fix quarterbacks."

What Happens Next?

Now the real work starts.

Monken has to build a staff. Will he keep Schwartz? Who will be his offensive coordinator?

He has to make a decision on Deshaun Watson. Can he be fixed? Is he done?

He has to develop Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.

He left a really good situation in Baltimore. He probably could have signed a nice Todd Monken contract extension with Ravens and kept winning easy games with Lamar. Instead, he chose the challenge. He chose Cleveland.

It’s not going to be easy. The AFC North is brutal. But for the first time in a while, it feels like there’s a grown-up in the room who knows exactly how to move the football.

Welcome back to Cleveland, Coach Monken. Good luck. You’re gonna need it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Who is the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2026? The Browns have hired Todd Monken as their new head coach. He was previously the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.

2. Did Jim Schwartz get the Browns head coach job? No, Jim Schwartz was a finalist but did not get the head coaching position. However, there are reports that he might stay on as the defensive coordinator under Monken.

3. What is Todd Monken's coaching history? Monken has coached at both the college and NFL levels. His Monken coaching career includes winning two national titles as Georgia's offensive coordinator, serving as head coach at Southern Miss, and working as an OC for the Bucs, Browns (in 2019), and Ravens.

4. Why did the Browns hire Todd Monken? The Browns hired him to fix their struggling offense. In 2025, the Browns ranked near the bottom of the league in scoring, while Monken's Ravens offense was one of the best in the NFL.

5. Is Shedeur Sanders the Browns starting quarterback? It is unclear for 2026. Shedeur Sanders started seven games in 2025 and even made the Pro Bowl, but he threw more interceptions than touchdowns. Monken will have to decide on the starter this offseason.

6. What happened to Kevin Stefanski? Kevin Stefanski was fired by the Browns on January 5, 2026, after a 5-12 season. He was quickly hired as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

7. Did Todd Monken coach the Browns before? Yes. Todd Monken was the Todd Monken Browns offensive coordinator in 2019 under Freddie Kitchens.

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