Despite a lengthy and wide-ranging search for a new head coach, the Cleveland Browns have maintained consistency in what they are looking for. From the start, bringing in an offensive mind has been among the top priorities, based in part on the poor performance on that side of the ball in recent seasons.
The key to any successful NFL offense is, of course, having a top-tier quarterback, either one who has already established himself in the league or someone who can be turned into a player like that. The Browns are in the latter camp at the moment, hoping Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel will emerge as the franchise QB they have long been seeking.
With that in mind, insider Mary Kay Cabot recently revealed the “highly valued” trait the Browns are looking for in their next head coach, which is the ability to develop a young quarterback.
“The ability to develop a young quarterback is highly valued in this search given that the Browns might be starting second-year pro Shedeur Sanders or a rookie in 2026, or might draft a quarterback in 2027,” Cabot wrote.
After Gabriel was injured, Sanders became the starting quarterback in Week 12 and may have bought himself an extra year to prove himself by helping the Browns win three of their final seven games. Those victories moved them down in the order in the 2026 NFL Draft to No. 6 overall, which likely put top prospect Fernando Mendoza out of reach for them.
In addition, with Dante Moore and Arch Manning each choosing to play another college season, other potential choices are unavailable. The Browns have been linked to Ty Simpson, but he may be a reach within the top 10 picks.
With offensive specialists Grant Udinski and Nate Scheelhaase among the reported finalists for the Cleveland job, the organization does have two young candidates available. Ideally, fellow finalist Jim Schwartz will stay on to continue to run the defense as their coordinator.
Whoever does get the job will have his work cut out trying to turn a late-round pick like Sanders or Gabriel into a legitimate franchise QB, but, as it stands now, that looks like it’ll be the first order of business.
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