{"id":715659,"date":"2026-01-30T04:34:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T04:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/715659\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T04:34:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T04:34:20","slug":"is-browns-todd-monken-already-the-best-hc-in-the-afc-north-ranking-the-divisions-coaches-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/715659\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Browns Todd Monken already the best HC in the AFC North? Ranking the division\u2019s coaches"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is Browns Todd Monken already the best HC in the AFC North? Ranking the division\u2019s coaches<\/a> originally appeared on The Sporting News<\/a>. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The AFC North has a drastically new look. With legends John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin gone, the “toughest division in football” is suddenly a power vacuum\u2014and the Cleveland Browns<\/a> just made the boldest play on the board.<\/p>\n

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While critics like Emmanuel Acho have labeled Todd Monken the “worst hire” in the division, a closer look at the 2026 landscape reveals a different story. Despite the chaotic search, Cleveland may have just secured the best HC in the North.<\/p>\n

Ranking the AFC North Coaches: A New Hierarchy<\/p>\n

1. Todd Monken (Cleveland Browns):<\/p>\n

Monken takes the top spot because he is the division\u2019s most proven “QB whisperer” with elite results at college and the pros. From winning back-to-back national titles at Georgia to evolving Lamar Jackson into a better passer and two-time MVP, his ability to build a scheme around his talent is unmatched.<\/p>\n

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By poaching the architect of Baltimore\u2019s top-ranked 2024 offense, Cleveland hasn’t just gained a coach\u2014they\u2019ve acquired the blueprint to dismantle their biggest rival. He’s the Browns best chance to unlock Shedeur Sanders potential, and\/or revitalize Deshaun Watson.<\/p>\n

More:\u00a0‘Horrible take’: Shedeur Sanders told to ignore Todd Monken by Emmanuel Acho; NFL world blasts ‘awful’ advice\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

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2. Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals):<\/p>\n

The veteran of the group by default. Taylor has a Super Bowl appearance on his resume, but a 6-11 finish in 2025 has his seat simmering. He is a proven winner when Joe Burrow is healthy, but that hasn’t been very often. Without a major bounce-back year, there will likely be a new sideline boss<\/p>\n

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3. Mike McCarthy (Pittsburgh Steelers):<\/p>\n

A Super Bowl champion, yes, but his “retread” status has fans divided. While he brings stability to the post-Tomlin era, his inability to get over the hump in Dallas remains a major red flag for a franchise that is demanding more than just making the playoffs.<\/p>\n

4. Jesse Minter (Baltimore Ravens):<\/p>\n

A defensive star from the Jim Harbaugh coaching tree, who turned the Chargers<\/a> into a powerhouse. However,\u00a0he enters the division with the thinnest resume.<\/p>\n

While Monken and Minter are both first-time NFL head coaches, Monken brings over 30 years of experience and previous head coaching reps at the college level. Minter, at just 42, is facing a massive learning curve as he tries to maintain a Hall of Fame standard in Baltimore.<\/p>\n

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The Bottom Line:<\/p>\n

In a division defined by transition, Monken\u2019s unique mix of championship experience and insider division knowledge makes him the most dangerous man in the AFC North.<\/p>\n

More Browns News:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Is Browns Todd Monken already the best HC in the AFC North? Ranking the division\u2019s coaches originally appeared…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":715660,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2054],"tags":[1990,184,117,86,241,256,85,54,2337,229,563,1245,7,10097,1577,2909,895,1255,6,57,17,23813,2729],"class_list":["post-715659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cleveland-browns","tag-afc-north","tag-baltimore","tag-baltimore-ravens","tag-browns","tag-chargers","tag-cincinnati-bengals","tag-cleveland","tag-cleveland-browns","tag-clevelandbrowns","tag-dallas","tag-deshaun-watson","tag-emmanuel-acho","tag-football","tag-jesse-minter","tag-joe-burrow","tag-john-harbaugh","tag-lamar-jackson","tag-mike-tomlin","tag-nfl","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-shedeur-sanders","tag-todd-monken","tag-zac-taylor"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115982189614688051","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=715659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/715660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=715659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=715659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=715659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}