As the Cleveland Browns continue their head coaching search, one familiar name keeps resurfacing as a serious internal option. While much of the attention has focused on outside candidates and offensive-minded coaches, there is a growing belief in league and local circles that the Browns may not need to look far at all to find their next leader.
That belief centers on Jim Schwartz, whose impact on the organization has been impossible to ignore. In a season filled with instability, inconsistency, and difficult results, one unit remained reliable almost every week: the defense. Even as wins were hard to come by, the Browns consistently fielded a group that played fast, physical, and confident, regardless of circumstance. That consistency has become a major part of the argument for keeping the defensive core intact and building forward rather than starting over.
During a recent discussion on the ‘Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show,’ insider Zac Jackson laid out what he views as the clearest path for Schwartz to land the job.
“Why don’t we just talk about Jim Schwartz’s one path to getting this job, and that’s he’s clearly loved by the players. He’s been the best hire this organization’s made in years. Throughout this bad year that all these games, won or lost, the defense balled out. Jim Schwartz has been a head coach before. If you think this team should and needs to win X amount of games, and you think that the way to catapult this thing forward is to keep that defense together, that’s the case for Jim Schwartz,” Jackson said.
#Browns DC Jim Schwartz will interview for the vacant head coaching job, @AkronJackson shares the one path he sees that would make Schwartz Cleveland’s next HC.
▶️: https://t.co/0dc19ndf5r pic.twitter.com/0z23a6Suzl
— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) January 8, 2026
There is also the matter of continuity. The Browns invested heavily in building one of the league’s most talented defenses, and Schwartz has maximized that talent. Asking a new head coach to come in and potentially overhaul that side of the ball carries risk. Keeping Schwartz in charge would allow the Browns to preserve the identity they have already established while addressing offensive questions separately.
Schwartz’s résumé strengthens the case. He has previous head coaching experience, which matters for a franchise looking for stability rather than another learning curve. He understands the demands of the role, the pressure that comes with it, and how to manage a staff over a full season. For a team that believes it should be winning a certain number of games right now, that experience cannot be dismissed.
The coaching search is far from over, and many names will continue to surface. Still, as momentum builds around internal solutions, Jim Schwartz remains a candidate whose case grows stronger the longer the Browns evaluate what they already have in the building.
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