Most of the NFL franchises that had coaching vacancies have the large roles on their staff filled by this point in the offseason, but that is not the case for the Cleveland Browns. The Browns are still looking for a defensive coordinator, and Cory Undlin of the Houston Texans is a finalist for the role. Undlin is Houston’s defensive pass game coordinator, and he will be interviewing for the defensive coordinator job on Sunday.

It seems Undlin is one of three finalists for the gig, which means there is a good chance he’ll be coaching in Cleveland during the 2026 season. Houston’s defense has been one of the best in the league over the last several seasons, and Undlin has been with the Texans throughout that duration of time. He probably plays a major role in how the defense operates, so losing him could be a major blow to the organization.

Undlin is one of three finalists, alongside Mike Rutenberg, the pass game coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, and Jason Tarver, who is already on the coaching staff for Cleveland. Hopefully, the franchise just decides to hire its in-house candidate for familiarity with players and whatnot, but the organization seems interested in bringing in Undlin.

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One of those three will land the job, and if it is not Undlin, he will likely remain in Houston for the 2026 season. This is the last defensive coordinator vacancy in the league, so Houston will have at least one more year with Undlin.

The Texans have been one of the league’s best teams over the last three seasons, and that typically means that the coaching staff will get picked apart by other franchises around the NFL. Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke is not long for Houston. His defense continues to improve and excel, and he will likely be a hot name in the head coaching world once the 2027 season rolls around. The same can be said about Undlin, except for defensive coordinator vacancies. He could even follow Burke if he lands a head coaching job somewhere.

The likelihood of all these assistant coaches being poached by other organizations makes the 2026 season ultra-important for the Texans. It is the last year of the rookie contracts for the players from the class of 2023, so the organization needs to make the proper improvements during the 2026 offseason so this team can finally get past the Divisional round and, hopefully, win the Super Bowl.