CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns have added at least four more names to their second interview list this week in Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udzinki, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, league sources tell Cleveland.com.
They already had second interviews scheduled Monday with Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, as cleveland.com reported on Friday, and Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken on Tuesday.
Of the aforementioned candidates, only Scheelshaase, with the Rams facing the Bears Sunday at 6:30 p.m. If the Rams advance to the NFC Championship Game, the Browns would have to wait until at least Jan. 26 to interview Scheelhaase, after the Rams have been eliminated or are in their bye before the Super Bowl.
The Browns interviewed Scheelhaase, 35, and Minter, 42, on Friday, and Udinski, 30, on Saturday. They represent the young, rising stars in the game who will soon be NFL head coaches, and it’s just depends on if the Browns are willing to take a calculated risk on them a little early. Udinski is scheduled to interview as early as Monday, same day as Schwartz.
Perhaps they’ll talk to each other on Monday at team headsquarters to see if it’s a fit.
If the Browns hire Udinski, who turned 30 on Jan. 12, he’ll be the youngest head coach ever hired in the NFL. He’d beat out Rams coach Sean McVay, who was hired by the Rams in 2017 just two weeks shy of his 31st birthday.
Schwartz and Monken, 59, represent the older, more experience candidates with playcalling experience on their respective sides of the ball.
The Browns also hope to retain Schwartz as defensive coordinator if he doesn’t get promoted. When they talk to him on Monday, they’ll get a better feel for his comfort level with staying on as coordinator depending on who they pair him with.
One person it’s not expected to be is Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who was the Browns first interview in the search. Rees is not expected to interview with the Browns a second time, and is expected to join Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta, sources have told cleveland.com.
If the Browns hire Minter as their head coach, Schwartz might not want to stick around considering they run vastly different defenses. Schwartz has also interviewed for the Ravens head coach job and isn’t expected to have a chance to join Stefanski, who is set to retain Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
One possible candidate for the Browns defensive coordinator job is safeties coach Ephraim Banda, who’s interviewed for the coordinator jobs in Dallas and with the Jets.
The Browns must still interview two minority or female candidates in person for head coach to satisfy the Rooney Rule before they make a hire, and the same for their coordinator positions. Their first interview with McDaniel, who’s biracial, was virtual, so it didn’t count for the Rooney Rule.
Ideally, the Browns would love to name their head coach this week, but they’ll exercise patience to end up with the leader for their team.
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