It only took three days for the Cleveland Browns to make significant progress in their search for a new defensive coordinator.
The Browns received a letter of resignation from Jim Schwartz on Thursday, but according to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, they’ll be Rooney Rule compliant and clear to make a hire as soon as Monday.
Per Fowler, the Browns are interviewing Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach and defensive passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant for their DC job. As of Monday morning, head coach Todd Monken had already met with internal candidates Jason Tarver and Ephraim Banda over the weekend.
Rams assistant head coach/pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant will speak to the Browns today about their open defensive coordinator job, per source.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 9, 2026
A final decision might not be imminent, as cleveland.com reported that the Browns have also requested interviews with Panthers passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley, and Giants interim DC Charlie Bullen. Former Browns assistant Cory Undlin, the passing game coordinator for the Houston Texans, has also been linked to the job.
Sean McVay disciple emerges as dark horse in Browns’ DC search
Pleasant could wind up being a dark horse for Cleveland, which gave him his first NFL job in 2013 as a coaching intern. He’s since worked his way up the chain with stints in Washington, Los Angeles (with the Rams) and Detroit, before serving as an offensive assistant in Green Bay under Matt LaFleur in 2022.
He then found his way back to Sean McVay and the L.A. Rams in 2023, working as the team’s defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator. He was promoted to assistant head coach in 2024, and considering the Browns’ interest in both Nate Scheelhaase and Chris Shula for their head coach position last month, it would not be a surprise to see Pleasant emerge as a surprising finalist; he’s yet to be a defensive coordinator or play caller at any level during his journey to date.
At this point, Undlin, who worked on the Browns’ staff from 2005-08, spent time under Schwartz in Philadelphia, and has prior experience as the Detroit Lions DC in 2020, feels like the. frontrunner. Matt Burke, the star defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans, has firm ties to Schwartz, and NFL insider Ian Rapoport believes Cleveland’s next defensive coordinator could be on that Texans’ staff.
With hopes of keeping the system together for their talented group, the #Browns may look to a couple of assistants on the staff of Jim Schwartz disciple Matt Burke — Dino Vasso and Cory Undlin. https://t.co/pt9i2zoweU
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 6, 2026
Pleasant definitely feels like a long-shot, as Monken’s expected to keep the Schwartz system, and Pleasant has no prior experience working with Schwartz.
But the Browns are clearly doing their due diligence here, and another coaching staff curveball can’t be ruled out in the coming days.