Cleveland Browns Have Plenty of Competition for Hiring Top Head Coach Candidates

The Cleveland Browns have narrowed their search, but everybody they're interviewing is in demand elsewhere around the AFC North.

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry responds to questions during Watson's introductory press conference at the Cleveland Browns Training Facility on March 25, 2022. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns will have some competition in their quest to hire their next head coach.

The team has already held second interviews with their own defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken. On Tuesday, former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel withdrew his name from the search.

McDaniel backing out from the job leaves Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase as frontrunners for the job.

The Browns will have plenty of competition, however, as they are not the only team interested in either of those candidates.

Who else is interviewing Udinski and Scheelhaase?

On Wednesday morning, the Buffalo Bills requested an interview with Udinski, the fast-rising candidate that just turned 30 last week. Udinski had a three hour virtual interview with the Browns and is set to interview in Berea on Friday. 

According to longtime Pittsburgh sports reporter Gerry Dulac, the Steelers had a tremendous meeting with Scheelhaase, who will not be able to interview with the Browns until early next week. While the interview is allowed to take place after the NFC championship game, the Browns would not be permitted to hire Scheelhaase until after the Super Bowl if the Rams were to defeat the Seattle Seahawks.

"He put out a Mike Tomlin vibe,” Dulac said of Scheelhaase’s interview with the Steelers.

Scheelhaase is also a candidate for the Ravens opening.

On Thursday, the Browns will hope to host Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter in Berea for his second interview. Minter, 42, spent Wednesday interviewing with the Ravens, where he’s considered the frontrunner. Minter worked in Baltimore from 2017-2020 as a defensive assistant.

Even if the Browns wanted to hire Minter following their interview on Thursday or Udinski after his interview on Friday, they would not be permitted to because of the NFL’s Rooney Rule. Along with Scheelhaase, the Browns will need to formally meet with one additional external minority candidate.

The Browns are seriously interested in both Scheelhaase and Udinski despite their lack of experience. But even if they wanted to hire Scheelhaase, they will need to interview at least one more minority candidate.

It’s safe to say that the Browns will add at least one more candidate to their search before they are allowed to make a hiring decision. They will likely get to work on that quickly, especially since the coordinators that they are interviewing have plenty of interest around the AFC North.

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