Everything Browns Fans Need To Know About Defensive Coordinator Candidate Cory Undlin

Jim Schwartz let the Cleveland Browns know that he will be resigning from his role as the team's defensive coordinator just a couple of days ago. Schwartz was upset with the Browns' decision to pass him up for the head coaching job in favor of Todd Monken.

Monken also made it clear that he took the job based on the defensive players that Cleveland held, and not the fact that Schwartz was the DC.

Cleveland has already held some meetings internally for their open DC position with candidates on the staff currently, linebackers coach Jason Tarver and safeties coach Ephraim Banda.

New reports are coming in that there is another candidate for the job, this time from the Houston Texans.

Who is Cleveland targeting?

That candidate is the Texans' defensive passing game coordinator, Cory Undlin, who has discussed the position with Browns head coach Todd Monken, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston.

Undlin has worked for the Texans for the past three seasons, where he has held the defensive passing game coordinator position, leading the team to great turnouts. Houston has ranked in the top 10 in back-to-back seasons in the fewest amount of passing yards allowed per game.

The Texans led the league in fewest total yards allowed per game this past season at 277.2. Undlin has been detrimental to Houston’s success in taking the ball away, as the team has been in the top five in the NFL in interceptions the past two seasons (4th-most in 2025, 2nd-most in 2024).

Undlin has a 20-year resume of coaching in the NFL, as he started coaching in the league in 2004 with the Patriots as a defensive coaching assistant, helping the team to a Super Bowl win.

Undlin then coached with Cleveland for the next three years, where he held the roles of defensive quality control coach, assistant special teams coach, and defensive backs coach.

For the next 14 years, he made stops at Jacksonville, Denver, Philadelphia, Detroit, and San Francisco, holding a variety of positions, mostly specializing in the secondary, and was as high as a defensive coordinator for Detroit.

In his coaching career, Undlin has coached eight Pro Bowlers, including: CB Kamari Lassiter (2025), S Calen Bullock (2025) CB Derek Stingley Jr. (2024, 2025), S Talanoa Hufanga (2022), S Malcolm Jenkins (2015, 2017-18), CB Aqib Talib (2014), S T.J. Ward (2014), CB Chris Harris Jr. (2014). Stingley has also earned All-Pro honors in the past two seasons; along with him, four more players have been All-Pros under Undlin.