The Browns’ coaching search has already been chaotic enough.
Now, it might be about to get even messier.
According to Jeff Schudel, the Baltimore Ravens have requested permission to interview Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz for their head coaching vacancy. And if that request turns into a formal offer, there would be nothing the Browns could do to stop it.
“#Ravens have asked permission to interview #Browns D.C. Jim Schwartz for their head coaching job. Are you concerned? Browns would be powerless to stop him if job is offered and he accepts. Even though he is under contract to the Browns for 2026, a team can’t block a promotion,” Schudel wrote.
#Ravens have asked permission to interview #Browns D.C. Jim Schwartz for their head coaching job. Are you concerned? Browns would be powerless to stop him if job is offered and he accepts. Even though he is under contract to the Browns for 2026, a team can't block a promotion.
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) January 12, 2026
Even though Schwartz is under contract in Cleveland through 2026, teams cannot block a coordinator from leaving for a head coaching job.
That is the part that should make Browns fans uneasy.
Schwartz has been one of the few undeniable wins this organization has had in years. While nearly everything else unraveled this season, the defense remained competitive, physical, and prepared most weeks. It was the backbone of the team. It kept games close that had no business being close.
Players love him. Coaches around the league respect him. And now division rivals are paying attention.
If Schwartz were to land in Baltimore, Browns fans would be forced to watch the architect of their defense stand on the opposite sideline twice a year, armed with inside knowledge of personnel, tendencies, and weaknesses. That is a nightmare scenario.
This also complicates the Browns’ own head coaching process.
There has already been talk about candidates being told they would need to keep Schwartz as defensive coordinator. That tells you how highly he is valued internally. But if another team offers him the big chair, that plan disappears instantly.
And that leaves the Browns with another problem.
Do you fight to keep Schwartz by making him your head coach? Or do you prepare for the possibility that the defense is about to change just as everything else is changing?
None of those options are comfortable.
The Browns finally built something elite on one side of the ball. In a coaching cycle already filled with uncertainty, this might be the most dangerous development yet.
Because losing Jim Schwartz would not just hurt. It would set this soft rebuild back before it even begins.
NEXT: Browns Have Requested Interview With Jaguars OC
