The Cleveland Browns seem to be overflowing with potential head coaching candidates. But until someone is hired, it doesn’t hurt to explore as many options as possible.
That’s especially true when you don’t know what might happen next around the NFL. A coach no one may have expected to be available all of a sudden hits the market and changes the landscape around the league.
That was the case again when the Buffalo Bills reacted to their latest playoff heartbreak by firing longtime head coach Sean McDermott. Despite a lack of ultimate postseason success, McDermott did have a regular-season winning percentage of .662 over his nine years.
That is why analyst Daryl Ruiter is urging the Browns to reach out to the former AFC head coach.
“He immediately runs to the top of my list. The Browns absolutely need to talk to him. McDermott is a big reason why Josh Allen has developed into the league MVP that he is. If you’re one of these teams with a young quarterback, you’d want to talk to McDermott. Long story short, if I’m the Cleveland Browns, I am definitely reaching out to Sean McDermott and having a conversation with him,” Ruiter said.
🏈"He immediately runs to the top of my list. The Browns absolutely need to talk to him. McDermott is a big reason why Josh Allen has turned into the league MVP he is."
🚨@SportsBoyTony & @RuiterWrongFAN on how Sean McDermott's firing affects the #Browns head coaching search pic.twitter.com/OW2ofZD183
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) January 19, 2026
The Bills hired McDermott in 2017, and in his first season, he got them to the playoffs with Tyrod Taylor as their quarterback. Allen arrived the next year as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and though they did not get back to the playoffs in his rookie season, they have made it every year since.
One could reasonably argue that Allen had as much – if not more – to do with McDermott’s success than the other way around. But a streak of seven straight playoff appearances and double-digit wins, which included five consecutive AFC East titles, should not be overlooked.
That’s especially true when you consider that Cleveland hasn’t won a division title since the 1989 season and has made the playoffs just four times in that span. So, if the Browns were able to find a quarterback to pair with McDermott, as the Bills did, those fortunes likely would improve.
The move also puts Buffalo in the mix of multiple teams that need a new head coach. With Cleveland already lining up second interviews with several of its candidates, it might be risky to add McDermott to the process at this point and miss out on someone else.
But when a coach with a record like his is out there, it might be worth exploring.
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