The Cleveland Browns found their next head coach from the AFC North. The Browns also looked within the division to fill a key assistant role to support quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported this week the Browns are hiring former Pittsburgh Steelers assistant Matt Baker. Cleveland is expected to name Baker assistant quarterbacks coach.
Baker coached under Mike Tomlin for two years from 2024-25.
Former NFL QB was last a Pittsburgh assistant.
The 2026 campaign will be Baker’s fourth season coaching in the NFL. He served as a special teams assistant with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023.
Baker coached at the college level as well from 2019-22. He played quarterback in the NFL too from 2006-09.
In 2026, Baker could play an intricate role in whether Sanders takes the next step in his development. That is, if Sanders starts for Cleveland.
Browns Hire Ex-Steelers’ Matt Baker as Assistant QB Coach
Technically, the Browns didn’t poach Baker from the Steelers to add him to their coaching staff. The Steelers released all their coaches from Tomlin’s final staff, allowing them to seek other opportunities.
New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy will be keeping two assistants from Tomlin’s 2025 staff. Baker was not one of those assistants.
Nevertheless, the Browns are adding the former Steelers assistant. His role will be far more important in Cleveland. Not only will he have more responsibilities, but he could have a direct role in the team’s direction at quarterback.
Baker played the position at North Carolina. After going undrafted in 2006, he experienced stints on several practice squads over the next three years.
Baker dressed in regular season games for the Buffalo Bills during 2008 and 2009. But he never appeared on the field for a snap.
In 2010, Baker started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Ole Miss. He resumed coaching at Western Michigan during 2019.
Baker served as offensive coordinator at John Carroll from 2020-22 before his opportunity with the Falcons.
Will QB Shedeur Sanders Start for the Browns in 2026?
The question for Cleveland this offseason, as it has been for many, many years, is who will start at quarterback next season.
The obvious choice is Sanders. The Browns hiring new head coach Todd Monken, Baker and others suggests the organization wants to support the young quarterback.
But Monken failed to name Sanders the team’s starting quarterback in his introductory press conference this week.
“Well, I think like any position on the team, that’s still to be determined,” Monken said Tuesday. “Am I excited about Shedeur; am I excited about all the quarterbacks in the room? Am I excited to coach this football team? Absolutely. I can’t wait for them to get back and for us to get started.”
There are a lot of differing opinions on Sanders. The 23-year-old did have just a 56.6% completion percentage with more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (7) as a rookie.
But, he also led the Browns to a 3-4 record to end 2025. Cleveland was 2-8 with all other starting quarterbacks last season.
It would make a lot of sense for the Browns to roll with Sanders to see if they have finally found a franchise quarterback.
Then again, Sanders plays for Cleveland. The Browns haven’t made a lot of moves over the past two decades that make sense to the general football public.
That said, Baker will be an assistant working with Sanders and whomever else is in Cleveland’s quarterback room next fall.
Former Steelers Assistant Joining AFC North Rival: Report