Browns set to interview division rival for head coach position

The Cleveland Browns don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

After firing head coach Kevin Stefanski just a few days ago, they've gotten involved in trying to find his replacement quickly. On Wednesday, Jan. 7, the Browns front office scheduled numerous interviews for Thursday, including two internal coordinators, Jim Schwartz and Tommy Rees, and scheduled another with a member of an in-division rival's coaching staff, Dan Pitcher.

The Browns have requested to interview Bengals OC Dan Pitcher for their head-coaching vacancy, per source.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 7, 2026

Dan Pitcher gets interview request from Browns

This decision from the Browns shouldn't come as any surprise.

Following the firing of Stefanski, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler predicted that such interest should come from the Browns.

"I wouldn't sleep on Pitcher as a candidate," he posted on X. "He has some fans in Cleveland."

Pitcher is one of the nation's best offensive minds, giving each team the Bengals came across this season a run for their money defensively. Even though Pitcher had to deal with changes at the quarterback position, he adjusted the offense to be able to run smoothly with whoever was under center.

The likes of Joe Burrow, Joe Flacco and Jake Browning finished the season with over 4,000 total passing yards, 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions on a 64.4% average completion mark. The running back room, which was spotlighted by the combination of Chase Brown and Samaje Perine, dashed for 1,401 yards and nine touchdowns. They averaged over 4.0 yards per carry.

For a coordinator to get that much success out of players that, in years past, outside of Burrow have been relatively unimpactful, is certainly going to draw heads across the league. With his track record, he's shown he can find diamonds in the rough.

Another part of Pitcher's coaching that makes him so interesting for the Browns is his comfort level with tight ends. In 2025, the Browns loved to utilize multiple tight ends, finding their future star in Harold Fannin Jr. this past draft, and Pitcher was able to get the best out of the Bengals' tight ends.

He helped lead that pass catcher room to have four tight ends finish the season with over 100 receiving yards, while Mike Gesicki recorded over 300.

It just seems from all angles that the 38-year-old is a good fit for the team that calls Cleveland home.

However, it's going to be hard to pry him away from the Bengals. He's been with the organization since 2018 and has been working with Burrow for his entire NFL career, building a near-inseparable bond.

Alongside Pitcher, the Browns have been looking at countless other coaches to fill the team's current void.

After Thursday's interview, Cleveland will probably have to make it's mind up quickly. Plenty of other teams across the league are going to be interested in Pitcher, and if the Browns don't pull the trigger fast, another front office is going to swoop in.