There’s been an element of mystery to the Cleveland Browns’ head coach search over the past three weeks. Reports that current defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz remains a top contender for the job are impossible to ignore. Now, the buzz seems to be shifting toward ascending young stars Grant Udinski and Nate Scheelhaase, coaches with offensive backgrounds but not a ton of NFL experience.
Cleveland will also be adding at least one new candidate to its interview list in the coming days, only adding to the intrigue.
To this point, this entire search has felt wide open. We haven’t heard the word “finalist” get thrown around by reporters yet, but NFL insider Jordan Schultz dared to go there with his latest report for FOX Sports on Wednesday night.
According to Schultz, Udinski and Scheelhaase “both had excellent first interviews and are now finalists” to replace Kevin Stefanski as the 23rd head coach in Browns franchise history.
“The Browns believe they have a roster filled with young, future stars, along with established talent. And the sense is their preference is to go young, if they believe the right candidate is available. They don’t want to force it. As for the two young finalists, I’m told that Udinski will be Friday, and Scheelhaase from the Rams is expected next week.”
While definitely bold, as Udinski (30) and Scheelhaase (35) are not only young in terms of age, but have just eight combined years of NFL coaching experience, this is definitely the kind of report that Browns fans can get behind.
Browns are weighing a bold direction in their head coach search
Really, this Browns search boils down to risk. The safe choices, known commodities in the building like Jim Schwartz and Todd Monken, would likely be easy sells to owner Jimmy Haslam. The more volatile and exciting candidates have general manager Andrew Berry written all over them, as his first stint as Cleveland’s vice president of player personnel came in 2016, prior to his 29th birthday.
The Browns won’t be making any final decisions until next week, at least, as they still need to comply with the Rooney Rule. But it would behoove them to act with some urgency. Udinski is expected to meet with the Buffalo Bills for their head coach vacancy, and Scheelhaase has already met with the Ravens, Steelers and Raiders.
Scheelhaase might actually have some history on his side, even though he’s only in his second year under Sean McVay in Los Angeles. There have been more hits with coaches in their mid-30s — Mike Shanahan (Raiders), Bill Cowher (Steelers), Mike Tomlin (Steelers), Jon Gruden (Raiders) — and older, than the other way around; although, McVay is the shining example that every NFL owner would love to replicate, and Udinski’s rise definitely has those kinds of vibes.
Cleveland obviously needed a leadership change this year. Replacing Stefanski with a coach like Schwartz or Monken, both now entering their age-60 seasons, definitely won’t move the needle for a franchise with one playoff win since its expansion season in 1999.
It’s time to think bigger, and Browns fans can only hope that this latest Schultz report carries weight.