Browns 2026 head coach search tracker: Rumors, interviews, and staff updates

Owner Jimmy Haslam, general manager Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns have a long offseason to-do list, but their top priority is finding the right head coach to take their young roster to the next level.

The Browns made the tough decision to move on from Kevin Stefanski on Monday morning, and they may now be the toughest team to predict among the six NFL franchises who are currently searching for a head coach. On one hand, Cleveland needs a prominent leader who can fix its floundering offense, one led by rookies across the board in 2025. On the other hand, the team enters this year’s hiring cycle unsettled at three of the most important positions in the sport: quarterback, left tackle, and wide receiver.

How Berry still has his job and the authority to lead this coaching search is an excellent question and a story for another day. Everything should be on the table, though, for Cleveland, which figures to interview high-profile names, ascending young coaches, offensive-minded guys, defensive-minded guys — and probably some wild-cards that nobody sees coming. 

Here’s the latest reporting on Cleveland’s 2026 head coach search, with real-time updates, as well as other potential staff and coordinator news:

Cleveland Browns 2026 head coach interviews

Todd Monken, OC, Baltimore Ravens

UPDATE: Monken will reportedly get a second interview with the Browns on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Browns have submitted a request to interview Monken, a coach owner Jimmy Haslam knows from the short-lived Freddie Kitchens era. Monken served as the Browns’ offensive coordinator in 2019 and left for the Georgia Bulldogs after Kitchens was dismissed after one season. He has been the OC for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens since 2023.  

The seriousness of Monken’s candidacy is fair for Browns fans to question, as he’s about to turn 60 in February and hasn’t been a head coach for over a decade now, since his days running Southern Mississippi’s program. He’s a veteran, offensive-minded guy with experience in the AFC North, however, which could check some boxes for Haslam and GM Andrew Berry.

Arden Durde, DC, Seattle Seahawks

We have our first wild-card candidate! There hasn't been a ton of buzz (yet) around Durde, as Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald calls the plays for the Seahawks' dominant defense. He's definitely an interesting candidate, though, as a former coach in the BAFA National Leagues in Great Britain. He got his start in the NFL via the league's Bill Walsh diversity coaching fellowship and has been quietly ascending through stops with Atlanta, Dallas, and now Seattle, where he's been the DC for the past two seasons.

The 46-year-old might still be a year or two away from getting serious HC looks, as he's still yet to be a play caller at the NFL level. We can say this for certain, though: Berry and the Browns are already casting a wide net.

Tommy Rees, OC, Cleveland Browns

UPDATE: Rees is not expected to get a second head coach interview for the Browns next week, opening the door for him to leave for another job.

This news, delivered by ESPN on the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 7, comes as no surprise, as the Browns have been high on keeping Rees in their building dating back to the regular season. He took over play calling duties from Stefanski starting in Week 10, which is valuable experience that should serve him well in interviews, either with Cleveland, other NFL franchises, or the college ranks, where he's already gotten some looks.

Rees is only 33 years old, and just finished his first season as Cleveland's offensive coordinator. He's probably a long-shot to be promoted to head coach, but this interview opportunity could be the first step in keeping him in the building, perhaps with more responsibility.

Jim Schwartz, DC, Cleveland Browns

UPDATE: Schwartz is expected to be among the Browns' finalists and is set to get a second interview with the team this week.

Browns fans have been talking about Schwartz replacing Stefanski for months, and it's now crystal clear that the team is thinking the same thing. If Cleveland decides to go with an inside hire — a logical move, if they really want to keep Rees in the building — Schwartz is almost certainly the guy. He has prior head coach experience, and has led a dominant Browns defense over the past three seasons despite the team's brutal struggles on offense and special teams.

The only real argument between Schwartz and Rees is age. Schwartz is nearing his 60th birthday, and Rees represents the kind of young, ascending, offensive mind that's hit often in the NFL over past five hiring cycles. We're about to find out just how serious the Browns are about keeping both coaches, because if Rees becomes a finalist over Schwartz, it would not be surprising to see the latter look to depart Cleveland for a contender.

Dan Pitcher, OC, Cincinnati Bengals

There's some prominent dots to connect here. Pitcher started his NFL journey as a scouting assistant, working under Berry in Indianapolis when Berry was the Colts' director of pro scouting. Pitcher then transitioned into coaching as an offensive assistant with the Bengals in 2016, and building his way to OC in 2024.

Pitcher's age, about to turn 39 this month, connection to Berry, and experience working with some prominent talent in Cincinnati make him a candidate Browns fans should take very seriously.

Jesse Minter, DC, Los Angeles Chargers

Arguably the top young candidate in this year's hiring cycle, the 42-year-old Minter has built the Chargers into a defense that ranks top-10 against the pass, and top-three against the run in total EPA, per SumerSports. According to Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, several inquiries have come in on Minter, so the Browns will have stiff competition — presumedly most so from the division rival Ravens, who had him in house as a defensive assistat from 2017-2020.

Minter would need to be paired with an all-star offensive coordinator — like ex-Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel, perhaps? — but this request signals that the Browns are in on the most coveted candidates, and for the fans, you love to see it.

Mike McDaniel, former HC, Miami Dolphins

McDaniel could make a lot of sense for the Browns. He was in the building back in 2014 as their wide receivers coach before following Kyle Shanahan to Atlanta, and later San Francisco.

The Miami Dolphins fired McDaniel after four seasons, but he actually led the team to a pair of playoff berths over that span and finished above .500 overall, 35-33. The Browns see him as an offensive guru, and would likely love to explore if he'd be willing to return to Cleveland, possibly with the added bonus of keeping both Rees and Schwartz in their current roles. Fans might be more comfortable McDaniels in a coordinator role, but he has some fans in the front office and is definitely a name to take seriously.

Nate Scheelhaase, passing game coordinator, Los Angeles Rams

The Browns are slated to speak with another young, offensive-minded coach in the 35-year-old Scheelhaase. He's spent the bulk of his career in the college ranks. He's been an assistant on Sean McVay's staff with the Rams since 2024.

Scheelhaase will interview for Cleveland's HC opening, but he's probably more likely to land his first NFL offensive coordinator job this year. Berry promised that the Browns would take a different path than other teams during this hiring cycle, and he's following through. Could Scheelhaase emerge as a wild-card cadidate?

Grant Udinski, OC, Jacksonville Jaguars

Now this would be a bold hire. Udinski's the former protégé of Kevin O'Connell with the Minnesota Vikings who was hired as OC of the Jaguars last offseason at the age of 29. The Browns just offered him his first head coach interview, per NFL insider Tom Pelissero. If hired, he would become the youngest head coach in NFL history by 11 months.

Just for context, Udinski's four months younger than Baker Mayfield.

He's definitely a candidate worth taking seriously, though. He helped Liam Coen and the Jaguars get the most out of Trevor Lawrence this season, and the Browns are right to be intrigued by the young coach who's been experiencing a meteoric rise through the league. Could he be the next McVay for Cleveland?

Chris Shula, DC, Los Angeles Rams

The 10th reported head coach interview for the Browns will be their fourth with a defensive background, team insider Mary Kay Cabot reported on Friday, Jan. 14. They're a bit late to the party here, though, as Shula already has reported interviews with the Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and, most recently, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Shula, who will turn 40 next month, has been on Sean McVay's staff with the Rams since his first season as head coach in 2017, and has been the DC since 2024. He's helped build the Rams' young defense into a top-10 unit, based on total EPA, and that success should certainly translate to Cleveland's stacked defensive roster. Perhaps the biggest allure, however, is the longtime connection to McVay and his line of thinking around running a program. If you're going to hire a defensive-minded head coach, snagging the ascending talent who's spent his NFL coaching career with McVay makes a lot of sense. There'll just be a lot of competition to land him, though.

Anthony Lynn, run game coordinator, Washington Commanders

Many will scoff at the Browns shoehorning an interview with Lynn to help gain compliance with the Rooney Rule, but he's as qualified for the job as they come. He's worked under Bill Parcels in Dallas and Romeo Crennel in Cleveland. He was the interim head coach and OC of the Buffalo Bills in 2016, and has already interviewed as the potential replacement for Sean McDermott. He was also head coach of the Chargers for four years and won a playoff game. The Browns aren't the type to interview a candidate just to check a box, and Lynn's experience make him an interesting addition to their search.

This article will be updated as more news trickles in!