Browns’ Coaching Search Hits a Wall as Other Teams Close In on Top Candidates
It’s been a turbulent stretch in Berea, and the Browns’ coaching search is starting to feel more like a scramble than a strategy.
Now in the third week of their hunt to replace Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland’s list of head coaching candidates is thinning-and fast. As of Wednesday morning, only five names remain in serious contention. Of those, four are already deeply embedded in other organizations, and the only internal candidate, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, remains a bit of a mystery in terms of how seriously he’s being considered.
Let’s break it down.
The Coaching Carousel Is Spinning-and Not in Cleveland’s Favor
Grant Udinski, currently serving as Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator under Liam Coen, is drawing attention across the league. The Browns were the first team to bring him in for an interview, but they might not be the last to make an impression.
Udinski is scheduled for a second interview in Cleveland this Friday, but he’s also on the Bills’ radar as they look to fill their own vacancy. With multiple options on the table, Udinski’s decision may come down to where he sees the best long-term fit-and right now, it’s unclear whether Cleveland still holds pole position.
Then there’s Todd Monken. He’s already wrapped up his second round of interviews with the Browns, but he’s also got a safety net in the form of the Giants’ offensive coordinator role. That kind of leverage gives Monken the freedom to be selective, and Cleveland may have to sweeten the deal if they want to bring him on board.
Jesse Minter, the Chargers’ defensive coordinator, is another name Cleveland has been linked to. But he’s in high demand, with the Raiders, Titans, Steelers, and Ravens all reportedly expressing interest. That kind of competition doesn’t just make it harder for the Browns to land him-it also raises the question of whether they’re moving quickly and decisively enough in this process.
Even Nate Scheelhaase, who’s still relatively early in his coaching trajectory, has completed multiple interviews. For now, Cleveland is the only team to bring him in for an in-person meeting, but that could change in a hurry if other teams start to view him as a rising star.
The Clock Is Ticking-and the Pressure Is Mounting
This was always going to be a thorough search, but at this stage, the process feels more chaotic than calculated. Schwartz, the lone internal candidate, hasn’t had his future role clarified.
Will he stay on as DC? Is he a serious contender for the head job?
The Browns haven’t said much either way, and that silence is starting to feel louder by the day.
Adding to the urgency: the team still needs to interview at least one more candidate to satisfy the NFL’s Rooney Rule requirements. That means more names will be added to the mix, but at this point, it’s unclear if those additions will be genuine contenders or simply formalities.
Meanwhile in Buffalo… Dysfunction Wears a Different Jersey
If Browns fans are looking for a silver lining, they might find it in the unexpected chaos unfolding in Buffalo. Bills owner Terry Pegula’s press conference following the firing of Sean McDermott was, in a word, baffling.
McDermott, for all his postseason shortcomings, led the Bills to the playoffs in seven straight seasons and won at least one playoff game in six of them. That’s not just solid-that’s rarefied air in the NFL. Yet Pegula opted to move on, and instead of offering a clear rationale, he delivered a meandering, emotional explanation that left more questions than answers.
The most talked-about moment came when Pegula described the locker room scene after Buffalo’s playoff loss to Denver. He painted a picture of a devastated Josh Allen, head down, crying.
Pegula said he tried to comfort his quarterback by referencing a controversial call-“That was a catch”-but Allen didn’t respond. The message was clear: Pegula saw the pain in his star player and decided something had to change.
But rather than spreading responsibility across the organization, Pegula placed the blame squarely on McDermott’s shoulders. He repeatedly defended GM Brandon Beane, even suggesting that the team’s recent draft misfires-like the underwhelming selection of wide receiver Keon Coleman-were McDermott’s doing, not Beane’s.
“I want to express my confidence in the guy sitting next to me, Brandon Beane,” Pegula said. “I know we can do better, and I know we will get better.”
He even rattled off the team’s playoff seeding over the past seven years-5, 2, 3, 2, 2, 2, 6-as evidence of the franchise’s overall success. But for many fans, the takeaway wasn’t about numbers. It was about accountability-or the lack thereof.
Perspective for Browns Fans
For Cleveland, the dysfunction in Buffalo doesn’t erase the frustrations of the current coaching search, but it does offer some perspective. As rocky as things have been under Jimmy Haslam’s ownership, they’re not alone in navigating organizational turbulence.
Since Haslam took over in 2012, the Browns have cycled through coaches, quarterbacks, and front-office personnel at a dizzying pace. And yet, somehow, the current moment in Buffalo feels just as uncertain, if not more so.
The Browns still have time to get this hire right. But with top candidates being courted by other teams and the search process dragging into its third week, the margin for error is shrinking.
This next decision won’t just shape the 2026 season-it could define the next era of Browns football.