Cleveland Browns Hire New Coaching Staff Under Todd Monken

Fans hope the fresh faces can turn around the struggling franchise

Feb. 21, 2026 at 12:15pm

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The Cleveland Browns have finalized their new coaching staff under new head coach Todd Monken, hiring Mike Rutenberg as defensive coordinator, Travis Switzer as offensive coordinator, and Byron Storer as special teams coordinator. This represents a complete overhaul from the previous regime led by Kevin Stefanski, which had struggled to find consistent success in recent seasons.

Why it matters

The Browns are hoping the new coaching staff can provide a much-needed boost after years of underperformance under the previous regime. Monken, Switzer, Rutenberg and Storer will be tasked with improving the team's alignment, consistency and special teams play - areas that were major weaknesses in recent years.

The details

The Browns have hired Todd Monken as their new head coach, replacing Kevin Stefanski. Monken has brought in his own coordinators, including Mike Rutenberg as defensive coordinator, Travis Switzer as offensive coordinator, and Byron Storer as special teams coordinator. This represents a complete overhaul of the Browns' coaching staff after the team failed to find consistent success under Stefanski's leadership, missing the playoffs in three of the last four seasons.

  • The Browns finalized their new coaching staff on February 18, 2026.

The players

Todd Monken

The Browns' new head coach, who previously served as offensive coordinator for the University of Georgia and Baltimore Ravens.

Mike Rutenberg

The Browns' new defensive coordinator, replacing Jim Schwartz.

Travis Switzer

The Browns' new offensive coordinator, replacing Tommy Rees.

Byron Storer

The Browns' new special teams coordinator, replacing Bubba Ventrone.

Kevin Stefanski

The Browns' former head coach, who led the team for the past four seasons.

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What they’re saying

“Monken, Switzer, Rutenberg and Storer are far from sexy names. But sexy names don't always translate to wins. The Stefanski-led regime has lost 10 or more games in three of the last four seasons. Alignment issues were a weekly occurrence. The special teams were anything but.”

— Anthony Farris, Analyst

“If you think about what Monken was able to do with Georgia and Baltimore, he said it himself that he has acquired such priceless experience since his time with Cleveland in 2019; he has grown as a coach. Fans saw Stefanski's ceiling, and he had six years to showcase that. Monken and his new staff can provide a new, refreshing look both offensively and defensively, which is enough in itself to buy into when you look at their on-field results the last few seasons.”

— Dominic Pagura, Analyst

“Had the Browns been able to retain Schwartz, maybe I would've answered differently, but there is no continuity going forward for the team's best unit. Monken likely won't get his choice of quarterback until next year, at the earliest, and by then it might be too late if he and Switzer can't extract anything decent out of the current group of passers.”

— Rafael Zamorano, Analyst

What’s next

The Browns will need to see quick results from their new coaching staff in order to build momentum and confidence heading into the 2026 season.

The takeaway

The Browns are taking a big risk by completely overhauling their coaching staff, but fans are hoping the new faces can provide a much-needed spark and turn the team around after years of underperformance. The success of the new regime will largely depend on their ability to improve the team's alignment, consistency and special teams play.