The Browns are hiring offensive line coach George Warhop, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Warhop is following Todd Monken from Baltimore, where Warhop was the offensive line coach for the past two seasons.
He previously coached for Cleveland from 2009-13. Warhop has also worked as an offensive line coach for the Rams (1996-97), Cardinals (1998-2002), Cowboys (2003-04), 49ers (2005-08), Bucs (2014-18), Jaguars (2019-21) and Texans (2022).
The Browns have four opening-day starters who are scheduled for free agency, so Monken, Warhop and the personnel department will have some work to do on the offensive line.
Browns Clips
The Rams had issues with their special teams all season, including a crucial muffed punt in their NFC Championship Game loss to the Seahawks, and they are working to find a new coach for those units.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that they have requested an interview with Browns special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone for the same role on Sean McVay’s staff. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that the Steelers have made the same request.
Ventrone also had an assistant head coach title during his three seasons on Cleveland’s staff. He has also coached for the Colts and Patriots since concluding a playing career that saw him spend time with the 49ers, Browns, and Patriots.
The Browns news comes shortly after the Browns announced the hiring of Todd Monken as their new head coach. The team already has a vacancy at offensive coordinator and passing on promoting defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz could leave the team with openings at all three coordinator spots.
The Steelers are in a similar position after hiring Mike McCarthy over the weekend.
The Browns had a dilemma. Promote Jim Schwartz from defensive coordinator to head coach, or risk losing him.
They rolled the dice, hired Todd Monken, and now Schwartz wants out.
Via NFL Network, Schwartz was “visibly upset” when he learned that the job was going to Monken. Schwartz also reportedly told other coaches he’s not coming back.
Per the report, Schwartz anticipated being hired. He’d already told others that, if he didn’t get the job, he’d leave.
Schwartz is under contract through 2026. The Browns could play hardball, which would be the dysfunctional thing to do. It would also be dysfunctional to risk undermining Monken via the presence of Schwartz on the coaching staff. The locker room could have divided loyalties, with defensive players aligning behind Schwartz.
Frankly, Monken’s job is easier (or a little less difficult) if Schwartz isn’t there.
The 49ers have been mentioned as a potential destination. Other teams reportedly would be interested.
And for good reason. Schwartz ran the Eagles’ defense in 2017, when they won the Super Bowl. In 2023, his first year in Cleveland, the Browns had the top defense in the league. This year, the Browns finished second to the Texans, by an average of one yard allowed per game.
The Browns may be banking on the fact that the defense is driven by talent, not scheme, and that another coordinator could do as well as Schwartz. Right or wrong, it looks like they may be finding out.
The Browns and Todd Monken have made it official.
The team announced that Monken has been hired as their new head coach on Wednesday. Monken has spent the last three seasons as the offensive coordinator in Baltimore and had a one-season stint in the same role in Cleveland in 2019. He was the head coach at Southern Miss and also served as Georgia’s offensive coordinator before joining the Ravens in 2023.
Browns General Manager Andrew Berry referenced that Georgia stint on Kirby Smart’s staff as well as his time in Baltimore in a statement on Wednesday.
“Todd has a varied and diverse background that we found as a particularly appealing match for our team at this stage in its life cycle,” Berry said. “He has a direct, demanding, and detail-oriented leadership style that will create a great incubator for a young team. His successful offensive track record at both the pro and college level with a variety of offensive systems and QB skill sets will allow maximum flexibility as we make several, long-term investments on that side of the ball. The lessons he learned from John Harbaugh and Kirby Smart as well as his demonstrated track record turning around Southern Miss have shown us that he has a full understanding of what the position requires and the capacity to execute. We cannot wait to get started and we welcome Todd, Terri and Travis to Cleveland.”
After the Ravens missed the playoffs this season, Monken said he felt he could have done a better job coaching quarterback Lamar Jackson. He won’t have a two-time MVP to work with in Cleveland, but the Browns are hoping that his experience will help him elevate whoever is under center come September.
The Browns are hiring Todd Monken to be their next head coach.
Jim Schwartz, the team’s defensive coordinator for the last three seasons, was also a reported finalist for the job. Team owner Jimmy Haslam has been clear that he’d like Schwartz to be a part of the franchise going forward, given how well the defensive unit has played under Schwartz’s leadership.
But will Schwartz still be with the team in 2026?
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that while Monken has the authority to hire his own staff, he has always been open to keeping Schwartz as his defensive coordinator. With Schwartz still under contract with the Browns through 2026, Cabot notes it will be up to the two men to figure out if Schwartz will be a part of the team or head elsewhere in 2026.
Cleveland has finished No. 1 in yards allowed in 2023 and No. 4 in yards allowed in 2025 under Schwartz.
The Browns have made their choice.
According to multiple reports, Cleveland is hiring Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken to be the franchise’s next head coach.
Monken, 59, spent the last three seasons as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator, helping Lamar Jackson win his second MVP award in 2023. The Ravens then finished No. 1 in yards and No. 3 in points in 2024.
The Browns have familiarity with Monken, as he was the team’s offensive coordinator under former head coach Freddie Kitchens in 2019. Kitchens called the plays for the team that season.
Monken also won a pair of CFP national championships as Georgia’s offensive coordinator from 2020-2022.
Monken does have head coaching experience, having led Southern Miss from 2013-2015. He compiled a 13-25 record with the team, though the program improved each season. In 2015, Southern Miss went 9-5 and 7-1 in Conference USA play.
The Browns reportedly had Monken, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, and Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase as their three finalists. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam had said that he preferred to keep Schwartz with the team. Monken was reportedly open to keeping Schwartz as defensive coordinator.
If Monken had not landed the Browns job, he was likely to be the Giants’ offensive coordinator under John Harbaugh. New York will now have to pivot with another candidate.
The Browns are one of three teams without a head coach. And they are down to three clear finalists.
Via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the candidates are current Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase.
Via Cabot, the Browns “did more work” on the three finalists today — and “we could possibly still hear something tonight.”
Some believe Schwartz is the favorite, given that they have to choose between elevating him or possibly losing him.
Schwartz, in 2023, had the top-ranked defense in the league. In 2025, Schwartz’s defense finished second in the NFL.
In each of the last two seasons with the Browns, head coach Kevin Stefanski turned over offensive play-calling duties to his offensive coordinator midway through the year.
That won’t be the case in 2026.
In his introductory press conference as Falcons head coach on Tuesday, Stefanski said that Rees will serve as Atlanta’s offensive play-caller.
“That’s a setup that I’m very, very comfortable with. I think he’s an outstanding football coach. He’s young, but I don’t know if you always measure experience just in years. I think he’s had unbelievable experiences in his young career,” Stefanski said, via George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal. “He is somebody that I trust. We see the game similarly, but we also push each other because we’re different, so Tommy will head up that offensive staff.”
Rees joined Stefanski with Cleveland in 2024 as a pass game specialist and tight ends coach. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2025.
It’s been percolating for days that, 13 years after his first head-coaching stint ended, Jim Schwartz could be getting a second chance.
Now, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that Schwartz “seems to be gaining momentum” in the Browns’ ongoing search for a head coach.
The 59-year-old Schwartz coached the Lions from 2009 through 2013, with one playoff appearance and a record of 29-51. He arrived in Cleveland in 2023; in his first year, the Browns had the top defense in the league (based on yards per game) but he got no head-coaching interviews.
In the current cycle, only the Browns and Ravens interviewed Schwartz, who coordinated the Eagles defense that won Super Bowl LII.
As one source put it last week to PFT, the Browns have to weigh promoting Schwartz against potentially losing him.
Others in the mix include former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. Those who have withdrawn from consideration include Mike McDaniel, Jesse Minter, and Grant Udinski.
If Schwartz gets the job, his most important hire will be offensive coordinator. Because the offense has been the problem for the Browns in recent years. Thanks to Schwartz, the defense has been better than fine.
Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase has wrapped up his second interview with the Browns for their head coaching vacancy.
Scheelhaase had his first interview with the team on January 16 and the second meeting had to wait until after the Rams participated in the NFC Championship Game. Sunday’s 31-27 loss to the Seahawks freed Scheelhaase up for an in-person interview, which the Browns announced on Monday evening, and the Browns could also hire him now that the Rams’ season is over.
If that happens, Scheelhaase will pass on the opportunity to interview for the Bills’ head coaching job. Word of their request to interview Scheelhaase came while he was meeting with the Browns on Monday.
The Browns have already seen several candidates pull their names from consideration for the job and they’ll have to continue the search process if they don’t come to an agreement with Scheelhaase.
