Back in December, with the Cleveland Browns’ offense struggling to establish any type of identity, the idea of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz replacing Kevin Stefanski as head coach in 2026 was largely signed off on by Browns fans.
But after the Browns allowed Stefanski to close out the regular season, only to fire him the morning of Black Monday and quickly embark on a head coach search that’s now reached Week 4, the thought of going back to Schwartz as a default hire quickly soured among the fan base.
The first Monday after the NFL’s conference championship games marked a turning point in the Browns' search, and not in a good way. Team brass flew to California to meet with one of its most intriguing candidates, Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, but the reports that leaked out while that lengthy meeting took place created another nightmarish twist for the Browns.
First, Grant Udinski, a candidate Cleveland was high on, removed himself from consideration after the Jaguars reportedly offered him a pay raise to stay on as offensive coordinator. Not long after that, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that the Buffalo Bills had requested an interview with Scheelhaase, and that meeting was expected to happen after his session with the Browns.
The Dawg Pound faithful spent most of Monday waiting for good news: That general manager Andrew Berry wasn’t leaving L.A. without agreeing to a deal with Scheelhaase to become the 23rd head coach in Browns franchise history.
That news never came, and according to longtime Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot, the team appears closer to hitting that default button than at any other point. Per Cabot, this race is nearing the final stretch — and Schwartz still has the inside track to the finish line.
One league source tells me tonight that DC Jim Schwartz seems to be gaining momentum in the #Browns head coach search. Stay tuned.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) January 27, 2026
The Browns might end up with the coach they've been trying to avoid all along
Browns fans love Jim Schwartz. If Cleveland ends up promoting him to head coach, we know the defense will remain dominant and the players will be happy.
That doesn’t make it the right move. In fact, turning to Schwartz in the last week of January would be another brutal look for owner Jimmy Haslam’s organization.
It’s not Schwartz’s fault. He's a great leader, and he seems to be comfortable with the idea of moving into Stefanski's old office. The issue is the timing. If Schwartz was really the guy, why would Berry spend a month trying to prove himself wrong?
There was never a doubt that Stefanski’s tenure was ending this year. He led the Browns to back-to-back AFC North victories to finish the season, and was still shown the door less than 24 hours after their Week 18 finale. The shrewd move for Cleveland would’ve been to fire Stefanski after the team’s Week 15 no-show at Chicago (a dismal 31-3 loss), clearing the way for Schwartz to coach the team on an interim basis over the final three games.
Berry would have been able to evaluate Schwartz and rethink the team’s approach to the offseason. Cleveland has a weak roster on offense. The special teams have been a mess. The salary cap situation is less than ideal. Despite some obvious young talent in the building, this was never expected to be the kind of job that would top outside candidates’ wish lists.
Sticking with Stefanski, only to fire him immediately after the season and hold Schwartz as the fallback guy, is bad business. The Browns could’ve made this exact move over a month ago, and gotten a leg up on the competition in assembling a coaching staff.
It’s not over yet with Scheelhaase, but the Browns appear to be working their way around a giant circle, to an end result that would be wildly underwhelming.