When it comes to the Cleveland Browns’ head coaching search, the franchise has to be judicious in who it decides to hire to lead the team. After a 5-12 finish to the 2025 NFL season, the Browns need to land on a leader who can get them to play a better brand of football on both sides of the field in hopes of one day getting back to the postseason.
Cleveland’s got a young and intriguing roster full of talented players, but needs someone on the sidelines to get the most out of the group. The Browns have a wide net cast in their search, though it seems like the final picture is coming into view as they’ve started their second round of interviews.
Cleveland has a good mix of experienced and up-and-coming candidates on their list, including Todd Monken, Jim Schwartz, Anthony Lynn, Grant Udinski and Nate Scheelhaase. The first three represent more known quantities in the coaching world, while the latter two are the upside swings on the offensive side of the field that teams have recently gravitated toward.
The Browns can argue either direction is a viable path forward for the franchise, but Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com revealed what will ultimately be the deciding factor in their search via 92.3 The Fan.
“It doesn’t necessarily matter if you’ve ever called a play before. Those tangible things aren’t as important as your leadership ability,” Cabot said.
"It doesn't necessarily matter if you've ever called a play before. Those tangible things aren't as important as your leadership ability."
➡️ @MaryKayCabot w/ @RuiterWrongFAN & @NickPedone12 on #Browns priority with head coach https://t.co/S52uMaDQJd pic.twitter.com/MCioMnVOZG
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) January 25, 2026
As Cabot alluded to, Scheelhaase seems to have the inside track on the Browns’ head coaching job but is currently embroiled in the Rams’ Super Bowl run. Someone like Scheelhaase would be the exciting hire as he comes from Sean McVay’s system that has been largely credited with helping modernize NFL offenses.
While things don’t seem imminent, it’s encouraging to hear that Cleveland is looking for someone to truly lead the team and manage all the things that come with being a head coach.
For now, it’ll be interesting to see if Scheelhaase ultimately is the hire or if they pivot to someone else.
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