Getty Cleveland Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam (left) talks with general manager Andrew Berry (right) during an NFL preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles in August 2022.
The Cleveland Browns have started their search for a new defensive coordinator and a favorite to land the job has already emerged.
The franchise parted ways with defensive coordinator Joe Woods on Monday, January 9, just one day after the season ended. Woods had been in the job for the previous three years.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski has already requested interviews with New England Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, Tennessee Titans senior defensive assistant Jim Schwartz and Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers coach/senior defensive assistant Brian Flores.
Of the three, Flores is projected as potentially the leading candidate for the job within the Browns organization, per Albert Breer of Monday Morning Quarterback.
“Schwartz crossed over with Browns [general manager] Andrew Berry in Philadelphia, too, and has been the name most bandied about,” Breer wrote on Monday, January 9. “But I wouldn’t rule out the other two. Flores might even be the clubhouse favorite.”
Flores Has 19-Year NFL History With Patriots, Dolphins, Steelers
Adam Glanzman/Getty ImagesBrian Flores, former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, leaves the field after a win over the New England Patriots on December 29, 2019.
Schwartz was an NFL head coach (Detroit Lions) or a defensive coordinator (Titans, Philadelphia Eagles) for 20 straight years between 2001-2020. Mayo, a former NFL player and All-Pro linebacker, has never officially held either job, though he is reported to fill a significant role when it comes to scheming and play calling for the Patriots’ exceptional defense.
Flores falls somewhere between the two on the experience ladder. He also came up through the Patriots organization, working as a scout and an assistant before coaching the safeties and then the linebackers in New England. He assumed head coaching duties for the Miami Dolphins in 2019. Over three seasons there, Flores led the team to a 24-25 record, which is somewhat skewed because the Dolphins were 5-11 the year he took over. Miami went 19-14 during Flores’ final two campaigns.
The organization fired Flores following the 2021 regular season, after which he filed a lawsuit against the Dolphins, and multiple other teams, as well as the NFL alleging discriminatory practices. There initially were questions as to whether Flores would get another opportunity in the league because of the legal action he took, though he found a landing spot with the Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin this year.
The Dolphins fielded a quality defense under Flores, ranking 10th in DVOA during his final season. An experienced leader who commands respect immediately from his players is crucial for Stefanski, who is likely to find himself on the hot seat as early as next season if the Browns don’t significantly outperform the 7-10 record they posted in 2022.
Browns Defense Struggled This Season, Particularly Against The Run
Getty ImagesEdge rusher Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns defense was billed as a ferocious unit heading into the 2022 season, though it failed to live up to expectations.
Cleveland ranked 25th in the NFL against the run based on yardage allowed, per NFL.com. The team was 14th in overall defense based on the same measurement. The Browns were also 13th in points allowed this season, giving up 21.2 points per game to opposing offenses, per StatMuse.
Injuries at every level of the defense played a role in the group’s collective underachievement, though no team can expect to avoid major injury issues in any given season. Cleveland has a lot to shore up on that side of the ball this offseason and hiring Flores looks like a good first step on the path to redemption.