John Harbaugh suddenly has the Giants’ OC search tilting in his favor

The NFL’s annual game of head coaching musical chairs is down to its last few seats, and the mad scramble is on. Luckily for the New York Giants, they’re sitting that one out -- literally and figuratively -- now that John Harbaugh is in the building and leading the charge.

As the 63-year-old builds out the rest of the staff in his image, there’s really only one head coaching vacancy throwing a wrench into things. He’s already brought in Chris Horton as special teams coordinator and Dennard Wilson to run the defense. The biggest domino left to fall is the offensive coordinator job.

Which is very much Todd Monken's to lose.

Unfortunately, the former Baltimore Ravens OC is still very much in the mix for the Cleveland Browns opening... or so we thought. ESPN's Adam Schefter appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and blew the whole thing wide open, reporting Cleveland's HC search is down to two candidates, with Monken not one of them:

And while that might not be great news for Monken personally, it's great news for Harbaugh, the G-Men, and the fans.

Todd Monken's pain is Giants' gain as Browns narrow HC search

If we're being honest, the only reason Monken even made it this far in the Browns’ process is because of his history with the team. He was their offensive coordinator in 2019 under then-head coach Freddie Kitchens before heading to Georgia.

That’s nostalgia talking. He hasn’t received interest from any of the other teams with vacancies this cycle.

At this point, it’s almost shocking there are still candidates seriously entertaining the Browns. Their interview process sounds like a total nightmare, hiding behind a “data-driven” facade. The only thing driving right now is the coaching talent, and it’s driving away from that dumpster fire.

Jim Schwartz and Nate Scheelchase represent Monken's biggest threats to the job. But if Schefter's right, then it's only a matter of time before he links back up with Harby to keep the good vibes going in East Rutherford.

In just three years together in Baltimore, Lamar Jackson won his second MVP and arguably should have a third. The Ravens led the league in rushing twice, Derrick Henry turned back the clock on his Hall of Fame career, and Zay Flowers became the team’s first Pro Bowl wide receiver.

All of that could be headed to the Meadowlands.

Monken would have plenty of toys to work with -- and he knows exactly what to do with them. Jaxson Dart gives him a young QB to mold. Cam Skattebo is a run-through-a-brick-wall kind of back. Malik Nabers offers no-limit explosiveness as a WR1. It’s a perfect fit.

Now, we wait... and hope Monken’s the next player to miss a chair when the music stops. Bring him home.