And then, there was one. Against all odds, Zac Taylor is the last man standing in the AFC North, with the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, and Pittsburgh Steelers all set to have new head coaches next season.
The Browns may have the least appealing job in the division, at least on paper, but that doesn’t mean they won’t get one of the main candidates. At least, that’s how Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports feels. In his latest column, he talked about how the Browns could be an appealing destination for Mike Tomlin.
He thinks the former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach could legitimately consider staying in the AFC North:
“While less appealing, the Browns could also be a possible landing spot for Tomlin. Unlike Atlanta and Baltimore, Tomlin would likely get a statue in Cleveland if he led the Browns to their first division title since 1989. While his consistent streak of non-losing season probably wasn’t properly appreciated in Pittsburgh, it undoubtedly would in Cleveland. The Browns are coming off consecutive losing seasons, but they fielded one of the NFL’s defenses last season and have an intriguing quarterback room in Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. Those things could be selling points for Tomlin, who also wouldn’t have to move very far if he ended up in Cleveland,” DeArdo wrote.
That makes some sense, and Tomlin did manage to have non-losing seasons despite having some of the worst quarterback rooms in the league multiple times. That being said, it would also come with some trouble.
For starters, the Steelers didn’t fire Tomlin, meaning that they still hold his rights. As such, the Browns would have to trade for him if they want to get him.
Assuming they’re even interested in him, the Browns would probably have to give up multiple draft picks, just like the Denver Broncos did to get Sean Payton three years ago. That’s definitely not in the team’s best interests right now.
The Browns need to make the most of the draft capital they have on their hands. That means using it to get as many young players as they can to fix their offense. Also, as great a coach as Tomlin is, he hasn’t won a playoff game in nearly a decade, and his team hasn’t even been competitive in those games.
More than that, the Browns might need an offensive specialist to take their team to the next level, and that has never been Mike Tomlin’s biggest strength.
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