Jim Schwartz has been loyal to the Cleveland Browns and has greatly improved their defense, turning it into one of the best units in the NFL. Plus, he has previous head coaching experience. For a number of reasons, many Browns fans feel Schwartz has earned a chance to be the head coach.
And in a new piece on Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio said that he is still in the running and “could be the guy” for Cleveland.
“Beyond the obvious message sent by Schwartz getting a second interview, there’s a sense in some circles that Schwartz could indeed be the guy. As one source put it, the Browns ultimately have to weigh promoting him against potentially losing him,” Florio wrote.
When the offseason began, and Kevin Stefanski was fired, most people assumed that Schwartz would at least earn an interview with the Browns. He has been with the team for three seasons and has helped the defense in numerous ways.
But there was also a chorus of people who said the Browns needed to move on from the Stefanski era and part ways with anyone involved. As great as Schwartz had been, they were afraid that he would carry some of the concepts and plans that held the team back under Stefanski.
When he received an invitation for a second interview, it became clear that the Browns are taking Schwartz very seriously. He is the only remaining candidate with prior coaching experience, meaning that if the Browns want someone established, they want him.
At the same time, many of the other contenders for the job are younger and unproven. The fact that the Browns have multiple candidates with no previous HC experience suggests they don’t value it much, so it may not benefit Schwartz.
If the Browns choose to head in a different direction, they will have to decide what to do with Schwartz. They would love to keep him on as defensive coordinator, but they also don’t want to ruffle the feathers of a new head coach and force him to employ Schwartz. On top of that, perhaps Schwartz wouldn’t want to stick around with a team that passed him by after years of loyalty and great results.
The Browns definitely have a big, consequential decision to make, and it won’t be an easy one.
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