The Cleveland Browns‘ head coaching search hasn’t been off to the best start.
Cleveland fired Kevin Stefanski after the season ended, and the Browns immediately began their head coaching search. However, candidates like Mike McDaniel and Jesse Minter withdrew their interest. Instead, the two were hired as the Los Angeles Chargers‘ offensive coordinator and the Baltimore Ravens head coach, respectively.
Although some candidates withdrew their interest, the Browns were finally handed good news on Friday. ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler said there is mutual interest with Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski.
“Browns hosting Jaguars OC Grant Udinski today in Cleveland,” Fowler wrote. “Interest in Udinski is real. The expectation as of now is Cleveland goes into next week with the search and definitely wants to speak with Rams assistant Nate Scheelhaase. But Udinski has his chance to impress in-person.”
Udinski is considered to be the next great offensive-minded head coach. The 30-year-old finished his first season as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator, as he previously was the Minnesota Vikings‘ assistant offensive coordinator and assistant quarterbacks coach.
Although the Browns still want to talk to Nate Scheelhaase, Udinski could have the leg up, especially if the interview goes well.
Udinski Learned From Kevin O’Connell
Udinski is one of the top offensive-minded coordinators in the league and is expected to be a head coach in the future.
The Jaguars offenisve coordinator spoke to Ari Meirov, and Udinski said he learned from Kevin O’Connell, which has helped him tremendously.
“I was spending all day of every day with Kevin, so I’m getting a behind-the-scenes 360-degree look at what does a head coach’s day look like, what does a head coach do, who does a head coach interact with, you know, his different responsibilities, what those interactions look like?,” Udinski said.
“What are the demands of the football side of the building, some business side, athletic training staff, strength and conditioning staff, nutrition staff, all those pieces of the puzzle — how they come together and how a coach manages all of that.”
Udinski would be the youngest head coach in the NFL at 30 if the Browns or another team hires him. But he has shown enough around the league at a young age to be a head coach.
Browns Casting Wide Net for HC
Cleveland has interviewed plenty of candidates as the team is casting a wide net.
The Browns have interviewed candidates who are ex-head coaches as well as first-team head coaches. That was the plan, according to Browns general manager Andrew Berry.
“We’ll be pretty open-minded,” Berry said of the team’s head coaching search. “I think there are a number of different archetypes of successful head coaches. I think about Kevin, I think it’s easy to forget now that he has, you know, two Coach of the Year awards on his mantle, that when he was interviewed first in 2019 and he didn’t get the job, and then again, I guess it was 2020 and he did.
“In both of those cycles, he had no head coaching experience, and we were the only team that interviewed him. And so, I think our responsibility is to search far and wide. There are good coaches out there. You know, we’ve just got to do our homework and find the right fit for us. We’ll have no preconceived notions as we go into the search.”
The Browns will look to snap their two-year playoff drought.
Browns Finally Get Positive Update on HC Search Amid Candidates Withdrawing