The Cleveland Browns‘ head coaching search to replace the fired Kevin Stefanski is ongoing as the team is still in its first round of interviews while also mapping out its second round of in-person talks, with Jim Schwartz and Todd Monken reportedly through. One of the clear, basic decisions the organization needs to make is whether to go with a proven hand in the job, or whether to roll the dice on a young and unknown commodity.
Recent promotions of coordinators to first-time head coaching jobs have gone well–Ben Johnson for the Bears, Liam Coen with the Jaguars and Mike Macdonald in Seattle. But some have been middling-to-bad (Brian Schottenheimer in Dallas, Aaron Glenn for the Jets, Brian Callahan with the Titans). Meanwhile, in a place like New England, dumping the hot young first-timer (Jerod Mayo) and going with a veteran (Mike Vrabel) has the Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs.
All that is to say there’s no script here, and whomever the Browns hire will come with as much risk as benefit.
Breer: Browns Want to Keep Jim Schwartz
At SI.com, veteran insider Albert Breer was asked where he thought the Browns coaching search would lead them. and his answer will, no doubt, be a disappointment to those factions who want to the organization to take a chance on a young coach with a budding-genius reputation. They will have Grant Udinski, the Jaguars’ 30-year-old coordinator, in for an interview on Saturday, and there is momentum for someone like him or Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, who interviewed on Friday.
But Breer said the Browns’ desire to keep Schwartz on board will outweigh its eye on young talent.
He writes: “My guess would be Jim Schwartz. But they’re one of two teams (Atlanta being the other) where there’s an internal preference to keep a good defensive coordinator on board in some capacity. And I think there’s a good chance Schwartz, who’s loved by his players and has developed the young guys at a high level, is the guy when it’s all said and done. We’ll see next week.”
GettyBrowns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will interview again for the head coaching job.
Defense Has Vastly Improved
The benefit on Schwartz remaining with the Browns and bumping up to head coach is obvious. But so are the risks.
Schwartz coached the Detroit Lions from 2009-13, and it did not go all that well. Detroit went 29-51 under his watch, and that was with a rookie named Matthew Stafford under center from the beginning of his tenure. Schwartz did go 10-6 in his third year, so it was not a complete disaster.
Since then, Schwartz has been one of the top defensive minds in the game , first as the Bills‘ defensive coordinator for a season, then spending five years with the Eagles, where he helped win a Super Bowl.
Browns defensive players have spoken with enthusiasm about Schwartz all year, and some campaigned for him to stick around after the season. With good reason–he helped make stars like Denzel Ward and Myles Garrett better, while fostering breakouts for Devin Bush and Alex Wright.
With the Browns over the last three seasons, the defense has blossomed–in Pro Football Focus’ rankings, the Browns were 26th before Schwartz arrived but have been sixth, eighth and second defensively with him in charge. That counts for something, and maybe for more than being young and ingenious.
Browns Predicted to Keep Veteran Coach as Stefanski Replacement