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.
Browns Clips
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.
Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase may have options in his head-coaching job search.
Scheelhaase, who is considered a strong candidate for the Browns’ head-coaching job, is also a candidate for the Bills job.
The Bills have requested an interview with Scheelhaase, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
If both teams are interested, the Bills would seem to be the better job for Scheelhaase, a former Illinois quarterback who has developed a reputation as a good coach of quarterbacks and would surely would love the opportunity to work with Josh Allen.
The 35-year-old Scheelhaase became an assistant coach at Illinois after playing there, and later became offensive coordinator at Iowa State before spending the last two years with the Rams. He’s now viewed as one of the best young coaches in football, and a good prospect to be a head coach. Perhaps a coach viewed as a top prospect by more than one team.
The Browns haven’t settled on a head coach for the 2026 season, so it’s unclear if Shedeur Sanders will remain the team’s starting quarterback after a seven-game audition for the role to close out his rookie year.
Whether Sanders gets that shot or not, he’ll always be able to tell people that he was a Pro Bowler. According to multiple reports, Sanders, who was a fifth-round pick last April, has been named to the AFC roster for the Pro Bowl Games as a replacement.
Josh Allen, Drake Maye and Justin Herbert were the original AFC quarterbacks selected for the roster. Maye will be in the Super Bowl and the other two players dealt with injuries in the final weeks of their seasons, so Sanders may not be the only replacement added to the squad.
Sanders was 120-of-212 for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions in eight overall appearances.
Grant Udinski will not be the next Browns head coach.
According to multiple reports, Udinski has withdrawn from consideration from Cleveland’s vacancy after agreeing to a new deal to remain Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator.
However, Udinski will still be able to pursue the Bills’ head coaching vacancy.
Udinski, 30, had interviewed with the Browns twice and was reportedly considered a finalist for the position.
Cleveland’s known remaining candidates include the team’s defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn, and Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase.
The Browns’ brass is reportedly in Los Angeles on Monday to interview Scheelhaase in person after the Rams fell in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.
Cleveland fired head coach Kevin Stefanski after six seasons earlier this month. Stefanski has since been named Falcons head coach.
Before the AFC Championship Game got underway on Sunday, there was a report that Broncos quarterbacks coach/pass game coordinator Davis Webb was expected to have a second interview with the Raiders for their head coaching job this week.
That report also indicated that the Bills have interest in interviewing Webb, but the timing of a conversation was contingent on the result of their game against the Patriots. The Bills did not fire Sean McDermott until last week, which meant they did not have a virtual first-round interview with Webb and would have to wait to speak with him until after the Super Bowl if Denver beat New England.
The Patriots won 10-7 on Sunday and that means Webb is now free to interview with any interested teams and could be hired at any time. Per multiple reports, Webb is expected to speak with both the Bills and the Raiders on Monday.
The same is true for Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, and offensive pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase in the wake of their loss to the Seahawks. Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has also interviewed for head coaching vacancies and he can have second meetings this week, but no team can hire him until after Super Bowl LX.
The Cardinals and Browns join the Bills and Raiders as teams still looking for head coaches.
