Despite a great meeting between Todd Monken and Jim Schwartz, Monken failed to talk his DC into returning: Browns Insider

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Todd Monken failed to talk Jim Schwartz into coming back as defensive coordinator despite a great meeting between the two at the Browns facility on Monday, a league source tells cleveland.com.

Schwartz has two years remaining on his contract, including a club option for 2027, but being passed over for the head coaching job in favor of Monken was apparently too much for him to overcome.

The feeling inside the organization was that the two men were similar in many ways and would’ve worked well together had Schwartz been willing to give it a try.

They’re about the same age — Schwartz is 59 and Monken turned 60 on Thursday — and have the best of both worlds in terms of vast experience and a growth mindset. Both bring an old-school discipline, toughness and work ethic while embracing analytics and other modern football concepts.

Both have also had similar success on their respective sides of the ball over the past three years, with Monken as Ravens offensive coordinator and Schwartz as Browns defensive coordinator. Statistically, both finished at or near the top of the league in many key categories, and both were nominated for AP Assistant Coach of the Year in 2023, with Schwartz winning it.

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The hope was that once Monken had a chance to sit face-to-face with Schwartz and lay out the path forward, he might see the wisdom in coming back and trying to take the team to the next level together.

But the deeper Schwartz advanced in the Browns head coach search, the harder it apparently became for him to overcome his disappointment about being passed over, and return to his former role. One of three finalists along with Monken and Rams pass coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, Schwartz really wanted the job, and came close to getting it, one source said.

Not even the offer of more money was enough to bring him back. With the Browns owning his rights for two more seasons, Schwartz currently has no recourse other than wait until his contract expires and return to coaching in 2028 when he’s 61. The only way that changes is if the Browns change their minds, which seems unlikely.

Last offseason, they dug in their heels and refused to trade Myles Garrett, signing him to a blockbuster $40 million a year extension instead. He went onto set the NFL single season sack record with 23.0, and was just unanimously voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

While head coaches can be traded, assistants can’t, a league spokesman confirmed.

The Browns hoped that Schwartz would return rather than sit out the next two seasons, especially because he’s at the pinnacle of his career as a coordinator. Back in 2020, he planned to take some time off when he left the Eagles because of a serious thyroid condition, but then-Titans coach Mike Vrabel invited him to come help out with the defense a couple days a week. It quickly evolved into a full-time role as a senior defensive assistant in 2021-22, and that led to his job as Browns defensive coordinator in 2023, where he presided over the No. 1 defense in the NFL in yards allowed.

By the time Monken took the podium on Tuesday for his introductory press conference, he knew that Schwartz wasn’t coming back, and sent a strong message that the unit would be just as dominant without its beloved coordinator.

He wanted his players, his defensive assistants — some of whom attended the press conference — and the fans to know that the defense would still be the same, attacking, dominant, premier 4-3 unit they had come to know and love. It wasn’t a foregone conclusion yet, but Monken’s words pretty much confirmed it.

“I didn’t take this job because of Jim Schwartz,” Monken said in his presser. “I have a lot of respect for Jim Schwartz as I would hope he has for me. But I took it because of the players that are here, the ownership, (GM) Andrew Berry, and the ability to build this from the ground up on the offensive side.

“And I said this to the other guys, I didn’t think I’d say it, but I’m going to say it: when I was preparing for the Cleveland Browns, I wasn’t trying to chip Jim Schwartz. I was chipping Myles Garrett and when I was sliding the protection to the outside ‘backers or Grant Delpit blitzing off the edge, I was sliding the protection to the players, and when I was worried about throwing to the right against Denzel Ward or Tyson Campbell to the left, that’s who I was worried about throwing at.”

Monken and Schwartz may have made a formidable duo, but the Browns will never know.

Cory Undlin on the radar for DC and what’s next?

The Browns will immediately begin their search for a new coordinator, with several of their current assistants set to be interviewed, including linebackers coach Jason Tarver and safeties coach Ephraim Banda. Possibly defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire too.

Tarver was defensive coordinator of the Raiders from 2012-14, and Banda interviewed this cycle for coordinator vacancies with the Cowboys and Jets. Banda was a possible candidate for a promotion to Browns defensive coordinator had Schwartz gotten the job.

The Browns must interview two diverse candidates for their coordinator spots to satisfy the Rooney Rule, but those can be conducted either virtually or in person.

The Browns also have two external candidates on the radar who earned Super Bowl rings as assistants under Schwartz in Philadelphia in Texans defensive passing game coordinator Cory Undlin and Texans defensive backs coach Dino Vasso.

Both are well-versed in Schwartz’ scheme, and Undlin worked with Monken in Jacksonville in 2010 when the latter was receivers coach. Undlin also worked in Cleveland under Rome Crennel from 2005-08, including as defensive backs coach his final year.

They’re currently both working under Schwartz-disciple Matt Burke, the defensive coordinator of the Texans, and know how to run this defense. If Monken doesn’t promote from within, Undlin certainly checks plenty of boxes.

With Jeff Blasko coaching tight ends, Christian Jones moves to wide receivers

Monken has already filled out most of his offensive staff, including hiring for tight ends coach Jeff Blasko from the Jets, and moving former Browns tight ends coach Christian Jones to receivers coach. Cleveland.com reported last week that Jones would likely make that transition with Blasko on board, and now he has. Jones replaces Chad O’Shea, who left to become receivers coach of the Chiefs.

Jones takes over the receiving corps after joining the Browns in 2025 as tight ends coach, and guiding rookie Harold Fannin Jr. to a stellar rookie season in which he led the team with 73 catches for 731 yards and six TDs in 16 games.

Spending three seasons with the Giants before coming to Cleveland, including the final two as assistant quarterbacks coach, Jones will be tasked with getting No. 1 receiver Jerry Jeudy back on track after a disappointing season in which he finished with 50 catches for 602 and two TDs.

WR Jerry Jeudy will be back

Despite the rough year, Jeudy will be back with the Browns in 2026 with the expectation that he’ll rebound amid some quarterback stability. The Browns haven’t identified their starter for 2026 yet, but they’re confident they’ll be better at QB than in 2025, when third-round pick Dillon Gabriel went 1-5 and fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders went 3-4.

A 1,000-yard receiver and Pro Bowler in 2024, Jeudy has two years left on his three-extension worth $17.5 million a year, but the Browns have an out after 2026 given that the dead cap charge for 2027 would only be about $7.15 million. Of course, that will be a moot point if Jeudy has the comeback year the Browns are hoping for.

Shedeur Sanders and two other topics on the candidates’ questionnaire

The Browns posed three key questions to their head coach candidates on a questionnaire to evaluate how they’d handle specific situations.

One was about Shedeur Sanders, and how the candidates might go about developing a young quarterback such as him. Browns GM Andrew Berry noted after Monken’s press conference that it was less about a specific player, and more about the player archetype.

A second question was about a young defensive player who had an excellent rookie year, and then suffered a tough injury in his second season.

A third question was about a position coach.

Candidates were given a full page to describe how they’d put together a development plan for individuals in those three categories.

It was part of a comprehensive evaluation of the candidates that included numerous background interviews.

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