How the Browns hope to keep Jim Schwartz without hiring him as head coach

Just eight wins in the last two seasons.

That's simply unacceptable for a team that had been to the playoffs back in 2023, finishing the season with an 11-6 record. The Cleveland Browns knew they needed to make a change and following the season finale, the front office let former head coach Kevin Stefanski go as they looked to start a new chapter in the organization's history books.

Over the past few weeks, the search has garnered a lot of eyeballs and started a lot of discussions, with a majority of the interest focused on the plan surrounding current defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. He's helped lead the team's defense to countless individual honors and team-leading marks.

He was interviewed twice for the Browns' head coaching spot, but throughout the entire process, it seems that the front office may be leaning towards a more offensive mind.

That's understandable, especially considering that's been the Browns' biggest flaw for the last decade, if not longer. Schwartz, who's well-experienced in the league at this point, obviously wants the top spot on the coaching ladder, but his fit might be best remaining as the defensive coordinator.

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot followed that sentiment, speculating that the team is more inclined to pair him with a younger, offensive-minded head coach to hit both sides of the ball effectively.

“Part of Schwartz’s interview on Monday was to help determine how he might fit with the other candidates if he doesn’t get promoted," he said.

“Part of Schwartz’s interview on Monday was to help determine how he might fit with the other candidates if he doesn’t get promoted.” -@MaryKayCabot

Cabot also speculates the Browns may desire to pair Schwartz with a younger, offensive minded HC.#DawgPound pic.twitter.com/LE77VxFfjG
— SleeperBrowns (@SleeperBrowns) January 20, 2026

The candidates that fit the mold

Cleveland's front office has done its due diligence, interviewing countless coaches since it officially moved on from Stefanski on Monday, Jan. 5, just a day removed from the team's Week 18 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Of the nine interviews the team has done, the label "young" or "offensive" fit with just a few candidates.

The most notable, and the one garnering the most traction, is current Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski. He's just 30-years-old and was hired by the Jaguars prior to the start of the 2025 season, marking just one year of high-level coaching in the NFL.

Although it was his first year, he led the team to success with the Jaguars offense finishing sixth in the league in points per game with 27.9, 11th in total offense with nearly 6,000 yards and helped quarterback Trevor Lawrence throw for over 4,000 yards and 29 touchdowns. The Jaguars finished 2025 with an overall record of 13-4, winning the AFC South before being knocked out of the playoffs in the opening round.

He'd be an exciting, but questionable addition to the Browns, mainly due to how young he is. He would bring new ideas and an exciting change of pace to the offense, but it's uncertain if he's ready for the challenge of being the head man just yet.

The nice thing is that if it did end up happening, he could fall under the wing of Schwartz and learn from someone who's been a head coach previously and been a part of the Browns system for years.

Outside of Udinski, former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has also drawn eyeballs.

He was the Dolphins' head coach for four seasons, finishing with a record of 35-33 before he was fired. At 42-years-old, it was his first job as the head honcho, and while it ended on a tough note, he did lead the organization to two postseason appearances in 2022 and 2023.

He helped lead them to a top 10 offense in back-to-back seasons, finishing sixth in 2022 in average yards per game and first in 2023 with a clip of 401.3 average offensive yards per game.

While things did start to fall off the tracks the past two seasons in Miami, no matter where he's been, McDaniel has been one of the league's most exciting offensive coaches.

The Browns aren't rushing the search, but are expected to conclude it in the coming weeks, especially with free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft approaching.

As of now, all signs point to the next leader of the team being Schwartz, Udinski or McDaniel, although a curveball could be thrown at anytime.

The candidates that fit the mold

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