BEREA, Ohio — The carousel has stopped, and the Todd Monken era is officially boots-on-the-ground. Just 48 hours after being named the 19th full-time head coach in franchise history, Monken was spotted walking into the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus this morning, looking every bit the man charged with fixing a broken 5-12 roster. The team released footage of the 59-year-old captioned simply: “Coach getting acclimated!”—but there’s nothing simple about the mess he inherits.
Monken’s arrival isn’t a polite meet-and-greet; it’s a rescue mission. After Kevin Stefanski was shown the door on January 5 following a disastrous 5-12 campaign, the Haslams spent weeks flirting with other candidates before circling back to the guy who orchestrated the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive fireworks.
The stark reality facing Monken? He takes over a team that has lost 26 of its last 34 games. The offense he previously coordinated here in 2019 was chaotic; the one he inherits now is lifeless. But he brings serious ammunition: the No. 6 and No. 24 overall picks in the upcoming April draft.
While Monken settles into his new office, the building is practically vibrating with tension. Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz—the architect of the league’s No. 4 defense—is reportedly furious after being passed over for the top job. Sources indicate Schwartz feels “spurned” and his return is anything but guaranteed.
Monken didn’t wait for the dust to settle to start making moves. His first call? Bringing in veteran offensive line coach George Warhop from Baltimore to stabilize a unit that got their quarterbacks hit more than almost anyone else in the league last year.
“Todd is a tough, exciting coach who believes in empowering his players. One mentality Coach Monk invited us to adopt was ‘Everything Matters.’ That obsession over every meeting and every play allowed us to have success.” — Jameis Winston, Former QB under Monken
The honeymoon phase ends the second Monken walks out of that video frame. His immediate to-do list is brutal: convince Jim Schwartz to stay (or find an elite replacement fast), decide if the current QB room is salvageable, and prep for a draft that could define the next decade of Cleveland football. With the roster reporting for offseason workouts soon, Monken needs to install his vertical passing attack before the snow in Berea even melts.
