Browns’ Candidates Testing Included a Question on Developing One of Their QBs

On the flight back from the Senior Bowl to Boston for a couple of days, but before heading to San Francisco, I have some notes to leave you with from Alabama.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns hired Todd Monken on Wednesday, thus closing the book on a much-scrutinized process that led Cleveland to a new head coach who didn’t get so much as an interview from any of the other nine teams with openings.

As we detailed in the Monday column, that last part was primarily by design. In explaining the three-pronged testing that the Browns gave their candidates (a cognitive test; the Hogan Test, which tests personality; and a six-question written portion focusing on the role of the head coach in general and specific to the Browns), we laid out how home-run interviews leading to the failed coaching tenures of Hue Jackson and Freddie Kitchens motivated Cleveland to try and reinvent the coach-search wheel.

What they’ve been trying to get to is how guys like Andy Reid and Mike Tomlin got only one interview before becoming successful head coaches. Maybe Monken could be the next of those—though he’s had interviews in the past, and nearly landed the Jets job in 2019, Cleveland was his only one in this cycle.

There’s another layer that we can now peel back on the Browns’ testing. One of the six questions on the test, I’m told, was “How would you develop Shedeur Sanders?” (He was one of three players specifically mentioned in that question). After poking around a bit, I can say the candidates didn’t take that as a definitive sign that the new Browns coach would have to start Sanders, nor did those guys get that impression in the interviews. Moreover, the question was designed to elicit the candidates’ views on the head coach’s role in developing players, specifically quarterbacks.

Still, it’s at least notable that Sanders was the name they asked a question about. In the interviews, Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and Deshaun Watson were all part of the conversation. But candidates did get the idea that being able to get starter-level play out of Sanders was seen as a plus.

• The Browns would, indeed, like to retain defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

Whether that’s mutual is another story.

Over the past couple of weeks, Schwartz told his assistants and friends that the only way he’d stay in Cleveland—after Kevin Stefanski’s firing—would be as the head coach. True to his word, the early signals he gave off after Monken’s hiring didn’t indicate that he was relenting.

Schwartz is still under contract for 2026. But he wants another shot at being a head coach, so it’d be understandable if his logic here was, “If you don’t see me that way, then I think I’m better off moving on.” Maybe Monken can get him to stay. However, I don’t see Cleveland keeping him there against his will. Timing, too, is of the essence, with opportunities to be a defensive coordinator elsewhere drying up.

If he leaves, I could see some other organizations he’s familiar with making a run at him.

Coaching carousel

The final piece to the 2026 NFL coaching carousel puzzle (at least as far as head coaches go) is shaping up to be Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

The Raiders and Cardinals are the two teams left with openings, and both are waiting to talk to Kubiak before making a final decision—with both teams scheduled to do in-person interviews with the 38-year-old play-caller in Seattle on Saturday. Kubiak, to his credit, has been cautious in his handling of the process the past three weeks, as his name caught fire as the Seahawks embarked on their Super Bowl run.

Both Vegas and Arizona have been thorough, running a second round of interviews (sometimes the “second round” is more of a coronation than a competition).

The Raiders have had Broncos QBs coach Davis Webb, new Bills head coach Joe Brady, new Titans OC Brian Daboll, Panthers DC Ejiro Evero and Ravens head coach Jess Minter for second interviews. The Cardinals had Jaguars DC Anthony Campanile, Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver and Rams OC Mike LaFleur for second interviews, and essentially gave ex-Falcons coach Raheem Morris a bye, conducting an in-person interview with him right away.

Kubiak went through first interviews with the Ravens, Giants, Dolphins and Falcons, in addition to the Raiders and Cardinals, and has become a quick riser primarily because of the difference-maker he’s proven to be for the second-year coach Mike Macdonald, who brought him aboard to replace Ryan Grubb a year ago. Kubiak’s résumé is unique in that he’s had three seasons as a play-caller with three different teams at a young age, and has learned from his experiences along the way.

In Minnesota and New Orleans, he was part of staffs that were let go (Mike Zimmer’s after the 2021 season and Dennis Allen’s last year), and I can say that led to a lot of reflection and rewiring of his offensive system. The results have been on display since he’s made it to his second Super Bowl in three years (he went with the 49ers two years ago).

So where does he end up? He could wind up having his pick of the two jobs, though Webb is still very much in the race in Vegas, and Arizona’s been pretty open-minded the past three weeks.

Los Angeles Chargers

Love the Chargers’ hire of Western Michigan DC Chris O’Leary, a coach who’s widely viewed as a rising star in the profession, and one who has intimate knowledge of what his predecessor, Jesse Minter, built in Los Angeles.

That is, of course, because O’Leary was Minter’s safeties coach in L.A. Minter was also Indiana State’s defensive coordinator when O’Leary was a receiver there in 2011 and ’12, and Minter brought O’Leary with him to Georgia State in ’15, then Vanderbilt in ’21. So O’Leary’s institutional knowledge of the defense was a reason why Minter and Jim Harbaugh hired him two years ago, and it should serve him well now.

There’s also a tried-and-true formula here for Harbaugh. He gave Mike Macdonald his first shot at being a DC at Michigan in 2021, which laid the foundation for his transition to the NFL—under John Harbaugh—when the Ravens brought him back in ’22. Then, Harbaugh replaced Macdonald with Minter, who had completed a one-year apprenticeship at Vandy, then ran the Michigan defense for two years before joining Harbaugh at the Chargers. Likewise, O’Leary got that sort of chance to learn at Western Michigan last year.

Philadelphia Eagles

Jim Bob Cooter would be a common-sense hire as Eagles offensive coordinator. I look at him a little like I saw Kubiak coming into this year: A guy who’s had successes and failures as an NFL assistant, and has learned from all of them. He was seen as a rising star as Lions offensive coordinator under Jim Caldwell and then Matt Patricia, was let go as Patricia reshaped the Detroit staff, then had to work his way back up.

And interestingly enough, landing in Philly as a consultant, after he was fired as part of Adam Gase’s staff with the Jets, became a turning point for Cooter. He was there for Nick Sirianni’s first year, and linked up with Shane Steichen, who’d hire him as OC in Indy two years later. Now, Steichen (who speaks very highly of Cooter) is open to letting him leave for a play-calling shot. So Philly has a chance to get a guy with grassroots knowledge of its program and six years of coordinator experience.

Las Vegas Raiders

If Webb doesn’t land the Raiders’ job, it certainly looks like the runway has been cleared for a promotion in Denver, with Sean Payton firing long-time lieutenant and Broncos OC Joe Lombardi. The Giants and Ravens have an interest in Webb, too. One thing those two teams can offer that Denver is unlikely to is the chance to call plays.

New York Jets

The Jets’ hire of Brian Duker caught the attention of a lot of folks across the NFL because they were initially looking at more established defensive coordinator candidates such as Wink Martindale, Jim Leonhard, Jim O’Neil and DeMarcus Covington. So what changed? The team reversed course on the play-calling part of the job. Aaron Glenn will be the guy, which is a change from his previous stance that he wanted to be more of a CEO-type head coach like his old boss, Dan Campbell, is in Detroit.

New England Patriots

Drake Maye Right Shoulder Watch is on. The Patriots’ MVP candidate was listed as a projected limited participant in practice on Wednesday—it’s projected because New England didn’t practice—which will only further fuel discussion on the hit he took against Denver, where he landed on the shoulder. However, New England is optimistic that he’ll be good a week from Sunday for the Super Bowl.

Atlanta Falcons

I’d expect a decision soon on the Falcons’ open GM job after they interviewed Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham on Thursday morning and Texans assistant GM James Liipfert on Thursday afternoon, with president of football Matt Ryan and owner Arthur Blank involved in this round.

Senior Bowl

It’s a dying breed, so I loved hearing that there was a legit two-sport guy at the Senior Bowl this week. Oregon LB Bryce Boettcher played four seasons of baseball at Oregon before exhausting his eligibility with an All-Pac-12 honorable mention year as an outfielder in 2024 (he was drafted by the Astros that June). It was after the second of those seasons, ’22, that he decided to walk on to the football team. He made it, grew into a two-year starter at linebacker, and is now an NFL prospect.

Stories like his are increasingly rare, and NFL teams would undoubtedly look at all that competitive experience as a plus.