The Cleveland Browns finally picked a direction, but they didn’t play it safe. After weeks of noise and speculation, the $6.4 billion franchise landed on Todd Monken as its next head coach. For the 59-year-old, it’s both a promotion and a return. He was the Browns’ OC in 2019. Now Monken’s back, this time with the authority to reshape the entire operation. The early reaction around the league has been loud.

3x Pro Bowler Kyle Long weighed in on his reaction to Todd Monken’s hire. He flat-out said this pairing makes sense, especially at QB. 

“Well, if you take a look at what the Cleveland Browns have at their disposal right now, they have a young quarterback that is not lacking in confidence,” he said on CBS Sports. “He loves throwing the football down the field… I love this hire already. I think Shedeur will really lean into this style of offense.”

Todd Monken arrives from Baltimore with a resume that Cleveland hasn’t had in years. From 2023 to 2025, the Ravens won 33 games and reached the AFC Championship Game. Lamar Jackson won NFL MVP in Monken’s first season calling plays, then followed it up with a historic 2024 campaign. He became the first QB in league history to post 4,000 passing yards and 800 rushing yards in a season, while also throwing 40-plus TDs with fewer than five interceptions. 

Kyle Long pointed to confidence, downfield aggression, and the willingness to lean on the run game. He also framed it as “Shedeur against the world,” calling the hire a commitment to building a physical, assertive offense. The QB room Todd Monken inherits is messy and fascinating. Deshaun Watson is still there, with one year left on a fully guaranteed $230 million contract that has aged poorly. Since arriving in Cleveland, he has played just 19 games in four seasons, thrown zero 300-yard games, and suffered a shoulder injury followed by a torn Achilles and a rehab setback. 

But it’s Shedeur Sanders’ time to shine. He’s the fifth-round pick who slid on draft night after passing on Ravens interest when Todd Monken was still Baltimore’s OC. The QB’s rookie year was uneven by any honest measure. He threw seven TDs against 10 interceptions, completed just 56.6% of his passes, and held the ball longer than any QB in the league from Weeks 11-18. His average time to throw was 3.4 seconds, and he faced pressure on 51% of his dropbacks despite one of the league’s lowest blitz rates. 

Shedeur Sanders doesn’t appear to be in a bad place despite the middling numbers. Earlier this week, he earned Pro Bowl honors. This selection raised some eyebrows, but importantly, it highlights the NFL’s belief in Sanders’ potential. Todd Monken’s track record suggests he could be the right coach for Sanders, who will be able to leverage his offensive expertise.

During his time in Baltimore, Monken leaned into RPO concepts, spread formations, and defined reads. These structures could help Sanders speed up his processing. And that’s where Monken’s college background becomes relevant again. 

Can Todd Monken recreate Georgia’s success as an NFL head coach?

Before returning to the NFL, Todd Monken spent three seasons as Georgia’s OC, helping Kirby Smart build a juggernaut. During his time there, the Bulldogs won 37 games, captured an SEC title, and claimed back-to-back national championships. The 2021 title ended a 41-year drought. But it was the 2022 Georgia offense that made him impossible to ignore. 

The Bulldogs averaged 41.1 points per game and nearly 296 passing yards per contest. Stetson Bennett completed 68.3% of his passes for 4,127 yards, 27 TDs, and seven interceptions, adding 10 rushing scores. TEs Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington combined for 91 catches, 1,396 yards, and nine TDs. Georgia went 15-0 and became the first FBS program to repeat since Alabama in 2011-12. Todd Monken was a Broyles Award finalist, and his reputation was sealed.

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Now, after 33 seasons of coaching, 26 at the college level, Todd Monken gets his shot to run an NFL franchise. His previous head coaching stint at Southern Miss was uneven, but the Golden Eagles went 9-5 in 2015, their first winning season in four years. Since then, the coach has evolved. Cleveland is now betting on growth. And with a volatile QB room, that bet will be tested immediately.