Cleveland Browns: 5 early Head coaching candidates to consider in 2019
By Randy Gurzi
5. Jim Schwartz, Defensive Coordinator, Philadelphia Eagles
The Jim Schwartz era didn’t end well with the Detroit Lions, but he did have some success in his five-year stint. Schwartz won 10 games with the Lions in 2011, but they lost in their lone playoff game that season.
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Two years later, he was out of a job with a career record of 29-51. However, Schwartz resurfaced in Buffalo the following season before making his way to the Philadelphia Eagles. He instantly turned their defense around and in 2017, they were first in points per game and fourth in total yards surrendered (according to Pro Football Reference).
Even this season with the Eagles early struggles, Schwartz has gotten the most out of his defense — particularly his defensive line. He can be a little rough around the edges and would need an effective offensive coordinator to help him out, but he could get this impressive Browns defense playing even better moving forward.
Schwartz may not have been extremely successful in his first stint as a head coach, but he could be worth kicking the tires on to see what he may have learned from that time. Not all coaches who get a second chance are bad, but the Browns do need to be careful if this is the road they decide to go down.