CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns plan to request a head coach interview with Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, a league source told cleveland.com.

He’d be their seventh request in this cycle.

Shula, 39, would also be the fourth defensive-minded candidate on the Browns’ list. The others are Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde, and Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who will interview with the Browns on Friday.

The grandson of legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula and son of former Bengals coach Dave Shula is in high demand in this coaching search, for which there are nine vacancies.

He’s received requests from numerous teams, including the Dolphins, Cardinals, Ravens, Raiders, Giants and Steelers.

Shula played linebacker at Miami (Ohio) from 2004-08, where he was a teammate of his current boss, Rams coach Sean McVay, for four seasons. He broke into the NFL as a quality control coach with the Chargers in 2015, after spending one season as defensive coordinator at John Carroll University in 2014. During that season, John Carroll reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III playoffs and finished 10th in Division III in scoring defense.

Shula joined the Rams in 2017 and steadily climbed the ranks, coaching linebackers, defensive backs, coordinating the pass rush, and serving as pass game coordinator before his promotion to defensive coordinator in 2024. Like Minter, Shula runs a 3-4 base, but it’s a hybrid scheme that often shifts into the nickel, dime and 5-1 alignments.

A zone-heavy scheme, it aims for pressure from different angles and post-snap movement rather than a high blitz rate.

If the Browns land Shula or another one of the up-and-coming defensive-minded candidates, it remains to be seen if they’ll retain Schwartz, although they’ve stated they want him to remain here either as head coach or defensive coordinator. Schwartz runs a 4-3 front that primarily rushes the front four, with plenty of man-to-man coverage.

Some think Shula will end up in Miami, where his grandfather coached for 26 seasons and won two Super Bowls, but the Steelers are the latest entry into the sweepstakes, and the Browns are expected to jump in soon.

Grant Udinski to interview with the Browns on Saturday; Nate Scheelhaase this weekend

After interviewing Minter on Friday, the Browns will conduct interviews with two other candidates over the weekend in Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, 30, and Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, 35.

Udinski will interview on Saturday, and Scheelhaase will interview either Friday or Saturday. The Rams play the Bears in Chicago on Sunday.

All of these first-round interviews with NFL employees must take place virtually until Monday when the divisional round is over.

The Browns must also conduct one more interview with a minority candidate in person to satisfy the Rooney Rule before they can make a hire. Mike McDaniel, who’s biracial, counts as one of the two.

Schwartz interviews with the Ravens

Schwartz, the Browns’ second interview for the job after offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, completed a head coaching interview with the Ravens on Wednesday. If he lands the job, it will mark a return to the team where he got his start in coaching as a defensive assistant under Ted Marchibroda from 1996-98.

Schwartz, 59, is also a Baltimore native and played linebacker at Georgetown, where he earned his degree in economics.

But Schwartz is still very much in the mix for the Browns head coaching job as they work through their second wave of interviews in Week 2 of their search.

John Harbaugh interviews with the Giants

Harbaugh spent Wednesday with the Giants, and even met with quarterback Jaxson Dart. But he left without signing a contract, and is expected to go through with some of his other interviews, including those with the Titans and Falcons. When the big domino falls, other jobs with take shape, including possibly one for Kevin Stefanski, who has interviewed with five teams, including most recently the Dolphins.

Mike McDaniel and Todd Monken on Bucs radar for OC

The Bucs have interviewed or lined up offensive coordinator interviews with both Mike McDaniel and Todd Monken, former Ravens offensive coordinator. If they don’t land a head coach gig, they’ll be in line for coordinator jobs.

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