We have barely entered the 2026 NFL offseason, and the Cleveland Browns have begun with a disastrous and toxic start.
It feels like deja vu for fans of this team who continue to get their hopes up that the team will manage its business better which will translate to success on the field in the fall.
The Browns missteps are already so plentiful that we need to make a list.
1. Fired Kevin Stefanski
Former head coach Kevin Stefanski has struggled in recent seasons. However, he was the two-time NFL Coach of the Year, and he got the team to the playoffs during his six year tenure. He dealt with many quarterback issues, including the fallout from the blockbuster Deshaun Watson trade. When the Browns fired Stefanski, many expected an upgrade.
Firing Kevin Stefanski truly doesn't make any sense now. The Browns clearly overestimated the attractiveness of this job. Nobody cares that you found a nice tight end and linebacker in the draft. All they care about is the quarterback.
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) January 28, 2026
2. Forced Head Coaching Candidates To Do Homework And Complete Essays
For some reason, the Browns decided to use unusual tactics in screening head coaching candidates. Homework and essays do not translate into good coaching. We cannot confirm if this is the sole reason, or one of many, why candidates withdrew from consideration.
The Browns are reportedly a “data-driven operation” and are requiring head coaching candidates to complete questionnaires, a multi-part essay, a personality test, and additional homework, per @TomPelissero
Mike McDaniel and Jesse Minter both withdrew from consideration. pic.twitter.com/nKm0UijYul
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) January 23, 2026
3. Failed To Hire Jim Schwartz
Last offseason Myles Garrett was making a lot of noise that he wanted to be traded. The Browns paid him handsomely to stay, but part of the his change of heart could be attributed to Browns DC Jim Schwartz. Schwartz has been a bright spot in an otherwise rough season.
It was never going to go well when the Browns decided to play it both ways by screening other candidates and asking them to retain Schwartz while interviewing Schwartz for the job. Somewhere the process was bound to go awry, and it did. Schwartz is reportedly planning to leave the organization since he is not being selected as the head coach.
After the Browns informed DC Jim Schwartz this morning they were passing him over to hire Todd Monken as head coach, Schwartz was visibly upset, said goodbyes in the building and told other coaches he’s not coming back, sources tell The Insiders.
Schwartz is under contract and… pic.twitter.com/GBEct9BRPB
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 28, 2026
The core group of Browns defensive players love Schwartz so this could create a domino effect of players wanting to leave also.
Jim Schwartz is the key in salvaging some PR in the hiring of Todd Monken. If Schwartz leaves, good luck.
— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) January 28, 2026
4. Hired Todd Monken
From the team that brought you the worst trade in NFL history, comes: A two-time coach of the year and the best defensive coordinator in football in exchange for…Todd Monken!!!
— Aaron Goldhammer (@HammerNation19) January 28, 2026
It feels like no one wanted the Browns job (except for Schwartz) so the team settled on Monken. Monken was with the organization as an offensive coordinator in 2019, also known as the Freddie Kitchens era. If that isn’t enough to concern you, he was the Ravens offensive coordinator for the past three seasons. The Ravens have a former two-time NFL MVP quarterback in Lamar Jackson.
Per The Athletic, during his Browns days, Monken, who will turn 60 next month, reportedly would be on the field telling opposing coaches that the team was a “total mess. Ironically, seven years later, not much has changed, and now he is the man in charge of the current Browns mess in the first NFL head coaching job of his career..
New England and Chicago are teams that prove that rebuilding does not need to take years. With good coaching, a sound culture, and talented players, it can happen in one season. Will Monken be able to deliver that type of turnaround for the Browns? Winning cures everything. If the Browns don’t win, expect a lot of “Sell the Team” signs at home games this fall because fans will want owner Jimmy Haslam out once and for all.
