The Cleveland Browns just started a coaching search, but it may already be over after a major recent development in the NFL. On Tuesday, the Baltimore Ravens fired longtime head coach John Harbaugh, sending him to the top of the coaching candidates list. If Harbaugh immediately wants another job, he will have a ton of suitors. The Browns would certainly be one.
Cleveland has witnessed Harbaugh’s dominance up close, sharing the AFC North with the head coach for his entire 18-year tenure in Baltimore. With the veteran head coach now free to take a new job, the Browns will do their part to try and keep him in the division.
John Harbaugh is officially an option for the Browns after being fired by the Ravens
Despite Harbaugh being fired, his résumé makes it clear why he’s immediately considered the top candidate in the coaching pool. In 18 seasons with the Ravens, Harbaugh has a record of 180-113. He also has a 13-11 playoff record, including an NFL record eight road postseason wins, and a Super Bowl. Even in his final season in Baltimore, he was a missed field goal away from going to the playoffs.
While Harbaugh may not be the young rising star type of candidate that teams are always looking for, he’s only 63 years old, and would make a ton of sense for the Browns. For starters, he knows the division, leading Baltimore to six AFC North titles during his tenure. Harbaugh is also a culture-setting head coach. Most of his time as an assistant was as a special teams coordinator; he thrived off connecting with the entire team and establishing a winning culture for the franchise.
That would also be a benefit to the Browns, as it would allow the team to keep Jim Schwartz in place, running the defense. Harbaugh would also be able to employ a talented offensive coordinator to help revitalize Cleveland’s offense. Additionally, considering his experience and all of the storms he’s navigated, the noise that comes with coaching the Cleveland Browns would be nothing for him.
While the Browns will conduct a full coaching search, with several candidates, it seems like a safe bet that John Harbaugh will be high on the list of candidates for Cleveland, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the franchise tried to make him the next head coach.