5 Head coach candidates Cleveland Browns could consider in 2023

Kevin Stefanski is not a popular man right now in Northeast Ohio. The Cleveland Browns just lost to Joe Burrow for the first time as the Cincinnati Bengals handed them their eighth loss of the season.

There were some questionable moves, like the early fourth-down decision, that have been called into question. Stefanski continues to answer that he needs to do better but some are growing tired of hearing the same thing. Then when he said they “needed to”come away with points” on their opening drive, the criticism got even louder as fans pointed out that his decision was to avoid “taking the points” and risk it for more.

While this isn’t to say Stefanski should be out — it makes more sense to give him a full year with Deshaun Watson — we also know Jimmy Haslam is a wild card. Should he decide to pull the trigger, here’s a look at five candidates he could choose as a replacement.

Cleveland Browns head coach candidate No. 5: Frank Smith, Dolphins OC

Usually, the best way to find solid new coaches is to find someone who has worked with established coaches that have been successful. That’s where Frank Smith comes in.

Smith is currently working under Mike McDaniel in Miami as the offensive coordinator. It might be easy to shrug this off since McDaniel is the offensive guru but that’s not the first great coach he studied under.

In 2021, he was on the Los Angeles Chargers staff with Brandon Staley who worked under Sean McVay before that. He also spent two years with Jon Gruden, who left the NFL in shame but was still a great coach that has a Super Bowl ring.

But his most impressive boss has to be Sean Payton, who Smith began his NFL career with as an assistant offensive line coach from 2010-2014.

He’s beloved by players as Darren Waller went into depth about how much Smith meant to him and comes from an impressive coaching tree. Smith will be a head coach one day, and it could be as early as 2023.