Joe Thomas spent years in the NFL, and he knows the Cleveland Browns organization inside and out. Therefore, when he offers his two cents about who the Browns should look to to lead them, people listen. On social media, Thomas shared his three biggest worries about the Browns potentially hiring a first-time coach for next season and beyond.
He said that adversity and leadership issues concern him, but his biggest worry is the coach’s ability to build out a quality staff.
“Here are the top three things that scare me about hiring a young NFL head coach. No. 3, adversity. Everyone looks great when they’re winning, but when you lose a few in a row, the belief cracks. The noise gets real. Real leadership is gonna be tested. No. 2 is the leadership. As a head coach, your biggest job is coaching the coaches. If you haven’t had that experience coaching men who have probably been coaching in the NFL since you were born, how are you gonna do that? No. 1, it’s the staff. Head coaches, they’re not gonna win games. If you haven’t really been around the game, you’ve got a thin network, and that limits who you can hire,” Thomas said.
My concerns about a VERY young first time NFL head coach 👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/3VdEqrjuQ4
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) January 23, 2026
Even if the Browns turn things around in a huge way next year, they will still face adversity. A coach who doesn’t have much experience in the league may not be able to bounce back from that quickly. It could get under his skin and into his head, leading to even more problems.
He also said that the way a young coach presents himself could be problematic. He noted that head coaches don’t just handle the players; they also have to steer their fellow coaches, handle the media, and deal with the owner of the team, too. That’s a lot for a youthful newcomer to tackle.
But the biggest concern for Thomas is the staff. With just a few years under their belts, young coaches simply do not have the connections needed to build a robust, experienced, and reliable staff.
Thomas suggested it could be hard for the Browns to find enough proven staff members to put their trust in a coach who hasn’t done this before, which could present serious roadblocks as the team attempts to move forward. This is all very important because the Browns are reportedly focused on Nate Scheelhaase and Grant Udinski right now. They are both young, and neither has led a team before.
Thomas made it clear that it could work out wonderfully with someone fresh, but multiple unique challenges have to be addressed if the Browns want success with someone learning how to guide a team for the first time.
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