CLEVELAND, Ohio – Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz seems to be gaining momentum in their head coach search, a league source tells cleveland.com.
If he gets the job, he will have come full circle, having begun his NFL career here in 1993 as an unpaid scoutin intern under Bill Belichick.
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The Browns interviewed Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase for a second time on Monday in Los Angeles, but flew home without hiring him. Scheelhaase received an interview request from the Bills in the midst of his lengthy interview with the Browns, and interviewed with them virtually on Monday night.
Another strong candidate, Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, removed himself from consideration on Monday morning, but remains in the mix for the Bills’ vacancy.
The Browns’ third remaining candidate, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, was one of the first to interview, and has remained in it right up until the end. The hope is that Monken will retain Schwartz as coordinator if he gets the job, and he’s apparently open to it.
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As of Monday afternoon, Monken was still in the mix, a league source said.
If Monken doesn’t get the head coach job, he’s expected to join John Harbaugh with the Giants. It remains to be seen who Schwartz will hire as offensive coordinator if he gets promoted.
Browns 2025 offensive coordinator Tommy Rees left to take over that position with Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta, and receivers coach Chad O’Shea left to take over that role with the Chiefs.
Schwartz, 59, will likely look to some of the many accomplished offensive assistants with whom he’s worked over the years to be his coordinator. But one of them, Frank Reich, is currently in talks with the Jets to become their coordinator, according to Connor Hughes of SNYtv. Schwartz and Reich worked together as coordinators in 2016 and 2017 with the Eagles.
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As for defensive coordinator, safeties coach Ephraim Banda, who interviewed for the Jets and Cowboys defensive coordinator vacancies, would be a possibility to fill Schwartz’ role if he’s promoted.
Browns players such as Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit have all stated that they’d love to have Schwartz as their head coach.
It would mark a return to the head chair for him for the first time since 2013, when he was let go by the Lions after going 29-51 in his five seasons, including 0-1 in the playoffs. But he took over an 0-16 team and had them in the playoffs three seasons later with a 10-6 mark.
Schwartz has also worked for four teams since then and has fielded some of the most dominant defenses in the NFL, including one that helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl after the 2017 season.
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Over the past three seasons, Schwartz’ defenses have been No. 1 in the NFL in a number of key metrics, including total yards per game. AP Assistant Coach of the Year in 2023, Schwartz has also coached Myles Garrett to what will soon be two AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, one in 2023, and one in 2025.
Schwartz fielded another championship-caliber unit in 2025, and Garrett set the NFL single season sack record with 23.0.
The Browns have vowed to commit the bulk of their resources to the offensive side of the ball in 2026, and the hope is that Schwartz would have an explosive offensive to pair with his elite defense. Browns GM Andrew Berry has said the No. 1 priority will be to find their quarterback.
The Browns are expected to regroup on Tuesday after their trip to Los Angeles and make a decision on their next head coach possibly on Tuesday.
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