Some favorites are beginning to emerge in the Cleveland Browns’ head coach search, and some are more surprising than others.
The Browns still have at least one virtual interview to conduct this weekend, and that’s with Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski. Fans are definitely intrigued by the 30-year-old wunderkind who’s received glowing endorsements from the likes of Kevin O’Connell and Liam Coen, but how serious the Browns are about potentially hiring the youngest head coach in NFL history remains to be seen.
We did, however, finally get some clarity Friday on a search that’s been the most difficult to predict among the NFL’s nine openings. Buzz is building again around Jim Schwartz, the Browns’ defensive coordinator of the past three years who’s made it known that he’d like to be a head coach again. He’ll reportedly interview for a second time for the Browns’ job next week, along with Todd Monken, who has suddenly re-emerged as a serious candidate despite multiple NFL insiders linking him to the Giants and John Harbaugh.
Both coaches have ties to Cleveland under Jimmy Haslam’s ownership, with Monken serving as the Browns’ offensive coordinator in 2019 during Freddie Kitchens’ one-year disaster as head coach.
The only other coach in the Browns’ candidate pool with direct ties to the franchise is Tommy Rees, their 33-year-old, first-year OC under Kevin Stefanski in 2025. Reports in early December indicated that the team hoped to retain Rees this offseason, but that was before Stefanski was let go on Black Monday.
Rees was among the first to interview for the Browns’ HC vacancy, but with just two years of NFL coaching experience, and just nine total games under his belt as a play caller, he was never really viewed as a serious candidate. That was confirmed Friday by beat writer Mary Kay Cabot, who reported that Rees is not expected to get a second interview, thus dropping him out of contention.
That news increases the likelihood that Rees will leave Cleveland this offseason. And if he’s indeed let go by the Browns' new hire, or given permission to interview elsewhere in the interim, his next move could not be more obvious given his connection to a certain coach who’s currently picking up steam elsewhere.
Tommy Rees' Browns future is fading fast (and one path makes sense)
Stefanski has reportedly emerged as the favorite to land the Atlanta Falcons job, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rees attempt to follow his former boss.
Stefanski gave Rees his first NFL coaching job as the Browns’ passing game specialist and tight ends coach in 2024, after Rees left his job at Alabama following Nick Saban’s retirement. Rees was quickly promoted to the Browns’ OC spot after Ken Dorsey was fired in 2025, and after the team got off to a 2-6 start this past season, Stefanski handed play calling duties over to Rees starting in Week 10.
It’s rare for NFL coordinators to keep their jobs after their unit finishes a season ranked 31st in EPA per play, like the Browns’ offense did in 2025. It’s especially rare after the team fires its head coach after that season.
Ultimately, it will be up to the new head coach whether Rees stays with the Browns in 2026, or gets the chance to explore a better situation elsewhere. He may not be long for the NFL anyway, as he’s already drawing head coaching interest at the college ranks.
But if given the opportunity? Ditching Cleveland’s ongoing rebuild for Atlanta’s ready-made offensive lineup with QB Michael Penix Jr., RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London, and RG Chris Lindstrom feels like a no-brainer career move.