Cleveland Browns’ Latest Coach Interview Would Steal Top Assistant From AFC North Foe

Cleveland Browns new head coach Todd Monken continues to put his coaching staff together as his latest interview would be a tough loss on their rivals.

Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken on the field before the game against the Washington Commanders at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

New Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken is starting to get settled into his role and has been hard at work building his coaching staff.

One of Monken's first key hires was Travis Switzer as the new offensive coordinator, after Switzer worked under Monken as the Ravens' run game coordinator from 2023 through 2025. The team still has some vacant roles they need to fill, but it's clear that Monken is looking to familiar faces he's worked with in the past to make those hires.

Cleveland.com Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot reported that the Browns are interviewing former Ravens assistant Daniel Stern for the associate head coach position. Stern spent the last 10 years in Baltimore in several roles, most recently serving as the director of football strategy/assistant quarterbacks coach.

Browns interviewing Daniel Stern for associate head coach

Monken might be looking at Stern to play a critical role in the Browns with multiple aspects of game day, including clock and situational management, as well as coaches' challenges. Essentially, Monken will be looking to Stern to be his right-hand man while navigating the role of head coach and most likely calling the offensive plays.

Some of those roles are still important, especially given that Monken is an NFL head coach for the first time. It's going to be especially important in the first few weeks of the season, when he is trying to balance his role on offense with what he needs to do as the head coach during games.

Stern has over a decade of NFL experience and did great work with the Ravens. Monken leaned on him to help develop quarterback Lamar Jackson over the last two years as Baltimore's quarterbacks coach, Tee Martin.

The Browns will need the same kind of focus from Stern in 2026 as they try to determine who will be the new starting quarterback. They have to decide between Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Deshaun Watson, or someone outside of the organization. Monken might already have shown his hand a bit, as he admitted to Sanders in their first meeting as the new head coach that he had tried to get him to Baltimore.

Cleveland has a lot of work to do over the next two weeks to build the coaching staff, and then the focus will shift to free agency. Monken must first get the right guys in place on the staff to help the Browns get back into playoff contention for the first time since 2023.