Grant Udinski lands second interview for Cleveland Browns head coach vacancy

The Cleveland Browns are making progress scheduling their second round of head coach interviews after the Atlanta Falcons hired Kevin Stefanski on Saturday night.

The team met with Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski last week for three hours.

This week, the fast-rising 30-year-old will meet with the Browns in Berea.

Udinski, who just turned 30 last week, has major respect in league circles. He started his football career by living in his car for a week before accepting a graduate assistant position at Baylor in 2019. He already has six years of NFL experience, and is credited for Sam Darnold's resurgence with the Minnesota Vikings.

Under Udinski's watch, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for a career-high in touchdowns during his fifth season in the league.

After firing Stefanski, Browns general manager Andrew Berry, who is leading the search, noted that Cleveland would cast a wide net in their search to replace a head coach after six seasons.

Berry noted that the Browns were the only team to interview Stefanski in 2019 and 2020, which isn't completely true. Stefanski did interview with the Carolina Panthers as well. Regardless, Berry doesn't care that the Browns are the only organization chasing Udinski as a head coach.

Who else is interviewing for Browns head coach?

Udinski will have some competition.

On Monday, the Browns will interview defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz for the second time. Schwartz received strong endorsements from key defensive stars, including Denzel Ward and Myles Garrett.

At 59, Schwartz certainly brings more NFL experience than any other candidate the Browns are meeting with. He spent 2009-2013 as the head coach of the Detroit Lions, but has exclusively worked as a defensive coordinator or assistant ever since.

The Browns are also expected to bring in Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken for another interview. Monken worked in Cleveland during Freddie Kitchens' disastrous 2019 season. He's never been a head coach in the NFL, and was expected to follow John Harbaugh to the New York Giants. But the Browns will have an opportunity to sabotage those plans if he's hired as the lead man in Cleveland.

On the younger side, the Browns will have a second interview with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel on Wednesday. Key members within Cleveland's organization have long admired McDaniel, who was fired after four seasons with the Dolphins. McDaniel spent the 2014 season in Cleveland as the wide receivers coach.

The Browns are getting serious about replacing Stefanski. At just 30 years old, Udinski making it to the second wave of interviews is very notable.