The NFL is widely known as a week-to-week business, and no head coach has changed his fortune more than Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns.
Stefanski felt like a man entering his final weeks in Cleveland after his team’s 31-3 stinker against the Chicago Bears in Week 15. With a pair of playoff contenders on deck in the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, all Browns fans were thinking the same thing (and they weren’t mad about it).
But the Browns picked themselves off the mat and played two of their most competitive games of the season, potentially saving Stefanski’s job in the process. Despite an injury-riddled lineup and already 12-loss season, Cleveland pushed Josh Allen and the Bills to the brink in a 23-20 loss, before stunning Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers, 13-6, at Huntington Bank Field this past Sunday.
Will Stefanski stay, or will he go? That remains an open-ended question, one Cleveland’s coach of the past six years has opted not to address.
If the Browns do decide to part ways with Stefanski this offseason, given the offense’s struggles over the past two years, there’s one coach already on the staff who Browns fans would happily get behind.
Even better? He’s reportedly ready to entertain future head coaching opportunities, too.
Jim Schwartz says he’s open to a second crack as an NFL head coach
The inside hire is rare in the NFL, but it definitely happens. It’s more likely to happen when a coach has been fired midseason, which gives ownership time to evaluate the interim coach and the rest of the staff.
For the Browns to consider promoting Schwartz to head coach, it’s complicated. They would first have to conduct a legitimate search and interview process, which takes time. Their own coaches, like Schwartz and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, could be part of that process, but with Stefanski out, they could also be poached by other teams.
Schwartz has worked under Stefanski for the last three seasons as the de facto head coach of the defense. There’s clearly mutual respect there, which only complicates the situation further. He did, however, recently confirm to Cleveland.com reporter Ashley Bastock that he would be open to another head coaching job should the right opportunity arise.
“I’d certainly consider it. I think in any business you aspire to the top. And I’m no different than other people in that way.”
Schwartz has earned the respect of Browns fans, especially with his defense remaining among the NFL’s best over the team’s current 7-26 stretch. Myles Garrett recently lauded Schwartz’s leadership, crediting the veteran coach for helping him reach the brink of NFL history with 22 sacks this season.
The elephant in the room? Schwartz had a very Stefanski-like head coaching tenure with the Detroit Lions, starting in 2009 when he took over a franchise that went 0-16 the year prior. He built Detroit into a playoff qualifier in 2011, but similar to Stefanski’s current run in Cleveland, he couldn’t sustain the success. The Lions finished 4-12 in 2012 and went 7-9 the following year, which ended with Schwartz getting fired.
Entering Week 18, everything’s still on the table for the Browns and owner Jimmy Haslam. Their young team’s showing enough fight and promise to justify giving both Berry and Stefanski another year to see things through. There’s also the allure of a young, up-and-coming coach like Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski that can’t be overlooked.
As for Schwartz? A lot of things need to happen over the next month for him to become the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Him at least being open to the idea is a start, though.