Cleveland Browns Already Interviewed Two Internal Candidates To Replace Jim Schwartz

Todd Monken’s quest to replace Jim Schwartz as the next defensive coordinator as the Cleveland Browns is full steam ahead.

Schwartz and Monken met on Monday, but the Browns were not able to convince Schwartz to return to Cleveland, despite an offer to come back with an increased paycheck.

The Browns wanted Schwartz back and retained his rights for the next two seasons, meaning he will not be permitted to coach elsewhere unless the Browns decide to let him out of the deal. But he wasn’t fired, he quit, and the Browns will not need to pay out his salary over the next two years.

With Schwartz in the rearview mirror, Monken will be tasked with finding a coordinator that runs the same scheme.

Here's who the Browns already interviewed

According to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns already interviewed linebackers coach Jason Tarver and safeties coach Ephraim Banda.

Banda has been a hot commodity, interviewing for a few other defensive coordinator roles around the league. While he does not have any coordinator experience in the NFL, he’s been a hot commodity.

While Tarver has not been in as much demand over the last few seasons, he has served as a defensive coordinator in the NFL before. He’s also had plenty of success with the Browns linebackers, developing Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Carson Schwesinger into stars while getting career-best production out of Devin Bush.

Banda arrived in Cleveland when the team hired Schwartz, while Tarver has been around since the Browns hired Kevin Stefanski in 2020.

Who else could the Browns interview?

If the Browns elect to search externally, one main target has already withdrawn from the search. On Sunday morning, Texans defensive backs coach Dino Vassell pulled out of the search to return back to Houston. He was a prime candidate for the Browns and Las Vegas Raiders and also interviewed with the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals.

The Browns could also meet with Texans defensive pass game coordinator Cory Undlin, who has professional working experience with Monken during their time with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Right now, Tarver and Banda are the two internal candidates that the Browns have met with first. But they can also explore a meeting with Undlin, who helped the Texans have one of the most elite defenses in the NFL over the last few seasons.

The Browns will likely prefer to wrap this search up sooner than later so they can focus on offseason prep, the NFL combine and the draft.