One of the NFL’s most shocking one-year turnarounds is currently playing out in Jacksonville, and the Cleveland Browns should be paying close attention.
After firing head coach Doug Pederson on Black Monday, Jan. 6, Jaguars owner Shad Khan and then-general manager Trent Baalke quickly set their sights on finding the next up-and-coming coach on the market. The coach who impressed Khan the most was Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, so much so that Khan dismissed Baalke to get Coen on board and allow him to help pick his own GM.
It was a risky move at the time. Coen, 40, was handed the keys to Jacksonville’s franchise despite having just one year of NFL experience as a coordinator; it was a good year, though, as Baker Mayfield and the 2024 Bucs were among the most efficient offenses in the NFL.
The plot only thickened when Coen made James Gladstone one of the youngest general managers in NFL history. The 34-year-old had spent his entire career as an executive assistant and scouting director under Les Snead with the Los Angeles Rams. The Jaguars proceed to hire two more cubs as Coen’s main coordinators in the 29-year-old Grant Udinski, who was formerly the assistant OC under Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota; and Anthony Campanile, 43, whose previous role was as the linebackers coach for Matt LaFleur out in Green Bay.
The results in Year 1 have been nothing short of staggering. The Jaguars have flipped from the NFL’s basement in 2024 at 4-13, to 11-4 entering Week 17 with scenarios to not only win the AFC South, but to steal home-field advantage away from Denver and New England in the upcoming playoffs. Even more impressive? They’re doing it without the services of No. 2 overall draft pick Travis Hunter, who’s been out since Week 7 with a torn LCL in his right knee.
The Browns, of course, are heading in the complete opposite direction. Kevin Stefanski is about to finish his fourth losing season in six years as head coach, and fans are more than ready for a change with their team currently stuck in a frustrating, two-year, 6-26 overall rut.
Ultimately, the decision falls on owner Jimmy Haslam, who should look no further than Khan’s playbook — and current coaching roster — if he does indeed decide to go bold this offseason.
Grant Udinski could be the bold coaching move Browns fans need
The Rams were once mocked for hiring a 30-year-old Sean McVay as their head coach back in 2017. He was the youngest hire in the NFL’s modern era at the time, and Udinski could soon follow in his footsteps during this next hiring cycle.
Udinski will turn 30 in January, and despite Jacksonville’s upcoming playoff run, he’ll definitely receive interview requests from teams looking for head coaches. It’s still unclear whether Cleveland will be among those teams, but if Haslam does indeed decide to cut ties with Stefanski, Udinski should shoot to the top of the Browns’ wish list.
Back in 2024, Udinski was O’Connell’s right-hand man in Minnesota, an up-and-coming coach who the Vikings hoped would remain under the radar. But after the Vikings went 14-3 that season, with Udinski playing a key role in helping Sam Darnold flourish and resurrect his career as a franchise quarterback, the cat was out of the bag. Udinski interviewed for several OC jobs this past offseason, including Coen’s former job in Tampa Bay, before Coen himself brought him to Jacksonville.
The Jaguars have since surged to No. 15 in the NFL in EPA per play, per SumerSports, and are currently enjoying the fruits of Trevor Lawrence’s finest stretch of play as a pro; over Jacksonville’s last four games (all wins), the 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick has produced 14 total touchdowns and zero interceptions.
https://t.co/1ZiAJH5ZIX pic.twitter.com/ScucKF82ky
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) December 18, 2025
The Browns do have some good coaches on their current staff, including 33-year-old offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. It’s rare, though, in the NFL’s current landscape, to hire a new head coach without giving him the autonomy of assembling his own staff.
It would require a massive leap of faith for Haslam to part ways with a well-respected and experienced head coach in Stefanski, for a baby-faced, 30-year-old in Udinski who’s been an NFL coordinator for barely one season. But it worked for the Rams with McVay. It’s definitely working right now in Jacksonville, too.
It may sound crazy, but the young, little-known OC out in Jacksonville could actually be the change Cleveland needs to finally establish the winning culture Browns fans deserve.