Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken has hired an offensive coordinator, but he has yet to identify his first defensive coordinator. The incumbent, Jim Schwartz, remains the leading candidate, and Monken reinforced those rumors during his introductory press conference.
The Browns’ vacant defensive coordinator position is the biggest question of Monken’s early tenure, making it a popular topic of his first press conference as a head coach. He noted that it was “inappropriate” to comment on Schwartz, whom he clearly respects as a defensive coach, via Zac Jackson of ‘The Athletic.’
In the responses he did give about Schwartz, Monken admitted he never enjoyed preparing for the former’s defenses.
“It’s been a b**** to go against his defense,” Monken said, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
However, Monken also noted that he did not take the job “because of” Schwartz. He praised the Browns’ defensive talent, including Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward and Carson Schwesinger, for the team’s recent success, seemingly believing they will succeed regardless of who coaches them in 2026.
Monken spent the previous three seasons as the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator. He went head-to-head with Schwartz and the Browns’ defense twice each year during that frame.
The Browns and Monken seem to want Schwartz back, with the decision ultimately up to the 59-year-old defensive guru. Cleveland considered Schwartz for its head coaching job, interviewing him twice before hiring Monken. Schwartz was head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2009 to 2013.
In his three years with the team, Schwartz has been one of the few bright spots for the Browns. He has coached them to two top-10 defensive seasons in the last three years, including the 2025 season, when Cleveland went just 5-12.
