Rapoport, Pelissero and Garafolo reported Friday that the Browns tried to convince Schwartz to stay on Monken’s staff, but that didn’t happen.
Because he is under contract, Schwartz is not a free agent and is not eligible to take another DC job, according to The Insiders.
Monken was asked about Schwartz’s status earlier this week during his introductory press conference.
“I think Jim is an outstanding defensive coordinator, I think we would all agree on that,” Monken told reporters on Tuesday. “But I think it’s a little inappropriate for me to comment on that at this time.”
In his three seasons with the Browns, Schwartz twice led a defense in the top four in yards allowed. His unit was often the only bright spot in a dismal 2025 campaign, and Cleveland saw Myles Garrett break the single-season scoring record and win Defensive Player of the Year, while linebacker Carson Schwesinger was named Defensive Rookie of the Year on Thursday at NFL honors.
Monken acknowledged Tuesday that part of the appeal of the Browns job is the talent on the team’s defense and that he plans to keep the status quo in Cleveland from a clear perspective.
“My expectation is that we’re not going to change the system,” Monken said. “Very difficult to go against – not going to change the system. We are built for the system they are in now.”
To that point, Rapoport reported Friday that the team could look to assistants under Texans DC Matt Burke, a Schwartz protégé, to fill his vacancy with Houston DBs coach Dino Vasso and passing game coordinator Cory Undlin as options.