Jan. 24, 2026, 2:30 p.m. ET

The Cincinnati Bengals greatly underwhelmed fans with their response to the latest playoff miss while failing to get the most out of the Joe Burrow era. 

Those Bengals entered uncharted waters (for them, anyway), by offering up director of player personnel Duke Tobin for a press conference after the season. The underwhelming theme continued, as he made it clear the Bengals will forge ahead their way. 

Alas, one rule remains true: The Bengals still don’t have it nearly as bad as the Cleveland Browns. 

For those out of the loop about the Bengals’ in-state rival in the AFC North, the Browns have messily been attempting to find their next head coach. 

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That Browns head-coaching search, so far, includes multiple cancellations from candidates, including a big name like Mike McDaniel. 

From the sounds of it, the Browns, among many other reasons, have turned candidates off because they’re demanding a multi-part essay and taking a personality test.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero’s explained during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show: 

“You’re talking about taking a personality test. You’re talking about writing an essay. You’re talking about completing homework assignments going into both the first and the second rounds of interviews. It plays toward the types of candidates that they have in the mix.”

The Browns will likely need to end up settling, funnily enough, for a more unproven name like the Bengals did years ago with Zac Taylor. Then, the quest to find a quarterback and battle shaky ownership can begin again. 

Given the above, though, it’s no wonder the big names have shied away from the Browns. 

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