CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have hired one of their former coordinators to be the team’s head coach.

However, it is not the one some people expected.

The Browns hired Todd Monken on Wednesday as the franchise’s 19th full-time head coach, wrapping up a three-week search. He replaces Kevin Stefanski, who was fired Jan. 5, the day after Cleveland finished a 5-12 season.

“He is an outstanding leader and has a clear vision to lead our team as a strong communicator who values trust with his players but also accountability and preparation. In our committee’s exhaustive reference work on Todd, his commitment to player development was evident, and his tough and straightforward coaching is respected by the players and the coaches he’s worked with, putting our team in a position to succeed while developing our players to maximize their talents,” owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement.

This is Monken’s first NFL head coaching job after 11 years as an assistant.

Monken was Baltimore’s offensive coordinator for the past three seasons. He started with two highly productive campaigns, highlighted by Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s second MVP award in 2023 and what many argued should have been his third in 2024.

The 2024 team became the first in NFL history to score 40 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns in a season and the first team to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards. Jackson became the first player to reach 4,000 passing yards and 800 rushing yards.

But some players appeared to sour on Monken after the team got off to a 1-5 start in 2025. They said he deviated from the game plan early in games when the team fell behind, The Banner reported in October, creating a disconnect with the players.

The Ravens finished second in the league in rushing yards per game (156.6 yards) and 11th in scoring, averaging 24.9 points per game. But a season that started with Super Bowl ambitions ended with an 8-9 record and the Ravens failing to make the postseason for the first time since 2021.

Two days after the Ravens lost their AFC North title match against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18, owner Steve Bisciotti dismissed head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons.

During an appearance on the “Ryan Ripken Show” after Harbaugh’s firing, Monken indicated he would not be back in Baltimore. He also disputed reports that there was a disconnect between him and Jackson and that Harbaugh had lost the locker room.

“Lamar and I, to me, had a good relationship,” he said. “Could it have been better? Of course. Lamar and I never had an issue. I don’t know where that comes from. I never saw Lamar and Coach Harbaugh not have a great relationship. I never saw that. I never saw Coach Harbaugh and any of our players not have a great relationship. Never. Not one time. So any of that would be news to me.”

Monken was the Browns’ offensive coordinator on Freddie Kitchens’ staff in 2019. There was growing sentiment, though, that defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz had emerged as the favorite, especially as the list of candidates thinned out.

Schwartz has been the architect of one of the league’s top defenses the past three seasons.

Cleveland led the league in total defense in 2023 and ranked fourth this season as Myles Garrett had 23 sacks to break the NFL single-season record.

Schwartz is under contract for one more season, but he is expected to look elsewhere after being passed over.

Losing Schwartz would be another blow to the Haslams, whose tenure since buying the Browns in 2012 has been known more for dysfunction than building a winning organization.

Monken is the seventh coach hired by the Haslams. The previous six compiled a 73-139-1 regular-season record, the second-worst mark in the NFL.

The Browns were 5-12 this season and 8-26 the past two years. Stefanski — who was hired as Atlanta’s coach — had a 46-58 record. He was a two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year and led the Browns to the playoffs in 2020 and ’23.

After announcing Stefanski’s firing, Jimmy Haslam bristled over the narrative that the Browns are a dysfunctional organization. However, the coaching search had more people withdraw their names from consideration than finalists. Cleveland interviewed 10 people for the opening, with four — Monken, Schwartz, Grant Udinski and Los Angeles Rams pass coordinator Nate Scheelhaase — getting second interviews.

Udinski withdrew Monday after a second interview to remain in Jacksonville as offensive coordinator.

The Browns had second interviews scheduled with Mike McDaniel and Jesse Minter before both canceled. McDaniel, who was Miami’s coach for four seasons, will be the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive coordinator, while Minter was hired as Baltimore’s head coach after two seasons directing the Chargers’ defense.

Monken, who will turn 60 on Feb. 5, first interviewed Jan. 10 and had a second interview Jan. 20. He also interviewed for Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator opening and was tied to the New York Giants’ offensive coordinator spot after Harbaugh was hired as the coach.

After Cleveland, Monken went to the University of Georgia from 2020-22 and was the offensive coordinator when the Bulldogs won the national title in 2021 and ’22.

Monken also has worked in Jacksonville (2007-10) and Tampa Bay (2016-17). He was the head coach at Southern Mississippi from 2013-15 and had a 13-26 record.

The biggest task for Monken will be finding a quarterback and a sustainable offense.

Stefanski started a league-high 13 quarterbacks during his tenure, including seven over the past two seasons.