The Cleveland Browns are one of just a few teams left around the NFL who are still searching for a new head coach, as only the Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders, and Buffalo Bills still have remaining vacancies. The most recent vacancy to close up was with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have now hired former Super Bowl champion Mike McCarthy, who will be just their fourth coach since 1969.
McCarthy is from Pittsburgh and will now get very familiar with Browns fans, as they’ll be facing off twice a year for the foreseeable future. In Cleveland’s favor, the hiring does open up an interesting opportunity for its own coaching search.
The Athletic’s Zac Jackson brought up an interesting point after the Steelers announced the McCarthy news. He said that with the Steelers no longer having a coaching vacancy, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula could become an option again.
Shula was considered the favorite by many to become the next coach of the Steelers.
“If the Browns want (Nathan) Scheelhaase or want to revisit Chris Shula, they’ll have that chance next week.”
If the Browns want Scheelhaase or want to revisit Chris Shula, they’ll have that chance next week. https://t.co/QsTP8bP8yf
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) January 24, 2026
Shula is a hot commodity and would be a seamless transition given his defensive background.
The Browns seem to be zeroed in on Udinski, Schwartz, and Scheelhaase, and it would be surprising to see Shula enter the mix at this stage of the process. If the Browns are going to go with a defensive-minded external hire like Shula, they’d have to accept losing Schwartz, and that doesn’t sound appealing for a team that relies so heavily on its defense.
NEXT: Browns Will Meet With Top Coaching Candidate On Monday
