The one head coach candidate, outside of the known commodities like John Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz, who seems to be growing on the Cleveland Browns’ fanbase is Grant Udinski — the unique, mostly unknown NFL prodigy who just celebrated his 30th birthday.
As it stands, the Browns are the only team to request a head coach interview with Udinski, who just finished his first year as offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and has yet to call plays at any level. That’s given a large segment of Browns fans some pause (and rightfully so).
But there’s a reason why there’s now nine head coach openings across the NFL. Teams are constantly searching for the next big thing, and Udinski’s received nothing but praise from the likes of Kevin O’Connell, Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence.
"Interviewing Grant was like interviewing a guy who could build a car from scratch for a job at a car wash."
— SleeperBrowns (@SleeperBrowns) January 13, 2026
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell on Jaguars OC (and former Vikings offensive assistant coach) Grant Udinski.
Udinski is interviewing with CLE this week.#DawgPound pic.twitter.com/9ImFh7NM6y
Promoting Schwartz from defensive coordinator to HC would be the much safer move. But Schwartz has been on Cleveland’s staff since 2023, and the team's gone 19-32 over that stretch. He's also twice Udinski's age, set to turn 60 this summer.
The defense should continue to be a force whether Schwartz stays or goes. The team just extended the soon-to-be Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett, and recently drafted the 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year in Carson Schwesinger.
What the team needs is an influx of talent on the offensive side of the football, and a scheme that’s more innovative and adaptive to the ever-changing nature of the NFL.
Udinski would definitely be that guy, and pairing him with an elite defensive coordinator — like Schwartz or Brian Flores, who he's worked with previously in Minnesota — could be the recipe Cleveland needs to start ascending in an AFC North division that suddenly feels ripe for the taking.
And if Udinski’s indeed the Browns’ guy — he’ll be sure to put that Jacksonville draft pick currently in Cleveland’s pocket to good use this April.
Grant Udinski would help revolutionize the Browns’ offense, starting in the 2026 NFL Draft
The Jaguars turned things around in short order under the Coen-James Gladstone regime, and the philosophy was to bring in young players and get them on the field immediately. The Browns wound up employing a similar strategy in 2025, and a Udinski hire would keep it going — in the form of a double-dip on offense in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Browns currently hold the Nos. 6 and 24 picks in the first round. With QBs likely to go early, there’s an outside chance that Cleveland could land the overall WR1 or WR2 on their board.
That already feels like the most logical path for the Browns, and Udinski's influence would just drive it home further. The engine of the Jaguars’ passing game over the second half of the season was a pair of interchangeable receivers in Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers. They aren’t the flashiest guys in the league, but they excel in two areas the Browns struggled mightily in this past season: getting open and catching the football; Cleveland had 27 drops as a team, per Pro Football Focus, led by Jerry Jeudy with nine.
Browns fans would love to land Ohio State’s Carnell Tate at No. 6 overall. Let’s put him — and his 151.8 passer rating when targeted in 2025, per PFF — on the board. They should have strong fallback options at wide receiver, too, in Makai Lemon and Jordyn Tyson.
The potential of landing Ohio State safety Caleb Downs at the No. 6 spot is definitely tempting (just imagine if Schwartz is the head coach). But you’re not hiring Udinski without leaving Day 1 with a sure-fire No. 1 wide receiver, and the Browns should check that box with thier top-10 pick.
As for No. 24 overall? It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Browns double-down at the skill positions there, especially if they’re able to land a respectable left tackle in free agency. But the need for young talent up front can’t be ignored. They have the draft capital to move up the board for Spencer Fano, the top offensive tackle in the class. Staying put and snagging Utah’s Caleb Lomu, or Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor, would be a fine consolation prize.
The bottom line? Cleveland needs to fix its offense. Hiring Udinski, and surrounding him with more young talent to pair with Shedeur Sanders, Harold Fannin Jr., Quinshon Judkins, and Dylan Sampson, would be a great start, and it's a path more and more Browns fans seem to be getting behind.