It’s difficult to describe exactly the way the Cleveland Browns and their fans feel about defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. He has made this defense into one of the best in the league, has nudged role players like Alex Wright and Devin Bush into stardom and has helped pave the way for Myles Garrett to claim the mantle of the best in league history. Everyone knows this, and just about everyone wants Schwartz to stay in Cleveland.
As defensive coordinator, at least. As head coach? Maybe not so much.
That’s understandable, because as good as Schwartz’s track record as a DC has been, his track record as a head coach is sketchy, at best. And because the Browns have struggled so badly on the offensive side of the ball, there is a sense that the team should bring in an offensive guru and leave the D in Schwartz’s hands.
So while the Browns might be very interested in keeping Schwartz in his 2025 role, as a head coach–that might be a different story. Problem is, the division rival Ravens do have interest in making Schwartz their head coach.
Ravens Announce Completion of Jim Schwartz Interview
On Wednesday, the Ravens officially announced that they had opened their talks with Schwartz. The team’s Twitter/X account wrote, concisely, “We have completed an interview with Jim Schwartz for our head coach position.”
It’s hard to say how serious a candidate Schwartz is for the Ravens, who pulled a surprise last week by firing veteran coach John Harbaugh. The Browns interviewed Schwartz as a candidate to replace Kevin Stefanski last week, one of the team’s first interviews in the head-coaching search.
GettyFormer Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is a potential head coach candidate for the AFC North rival Browns.
Jim Schwartz Has Been Browns Defensive Coordinator for 3 Years
Schwartz struggled in his lone stint as a head coach, when was with the Detroit Lions from 2009-13, and the team went 29-51 under his watch. And it was not as though Schwartz was running a team devoid of talent–he took the job with a rookie named Matthew Stafford under center, and coached Stafford for his first five NFL seasons.
Schwartz was in his mid-40s at that time, and it’s fair to consider that he has gained some wisdom since then–he was the Bills‘ defensive coordinator for a year, and spent five years with the Eagles, where he helped win a Super Bowl. Schwartz has been the Browns’ DC for the last three seasons.
The Ravens also interviewed Stefanski for their open job, among others, and are one of the favorites to land Vikings coordinator Brian Flores.
Browns Must Add a Coach Before Making a DC Decision
As for the Browns, only Schwartz and ex-Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel rank among the current coaching candidates with previous head-coaching experience. The team is seeking an interview with Harbaugh, but his interest in the Cleveland job has not been confirmed.
The Browns do not have a plan at defensive coordinator, at least not until they have a head coach in place. GM Andrew Berry said that it will be the new coach’s call whether to keep Schwartz (providing he does not get a promotion) at defensive coordinator in 2026.
Said Berry last week: “Jim’s an outstanding football coach. We have a lot of respect for him, a lot of appreciation for him, and he has certainly earned the right for consideration. But that’s something that we still have to discuss and obviously discuss with him.”
Browns’ Division Rival Makes Jim Schwartz Announcement