The Cleveland Browns have 13 known candidates for their head coaching position. One of those guys, however, may have gone under the radar.
Not many people were familiar with Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski before this season. Now, he could be the Browns’ next head coach. And, after hearing all of the buzz around him and the Browns, NFL analyst Cody Suek had a clear response.
He took to social media to voice his support for this hiring:
“I’m all in on Udinski as the next Browns HC,” Suek wrote on X.
Of course, it makes sense that some people have doubts about this hire. Udinski is just 30 years old, seven years younger than the youngest coach in the league right now. He’d even be almost a full year younger than Sean McVay when the Los Angeles Rams made him the youngest head coach in NFL history nine years ago.
That being said, young coaches have done well in the league recently. The aforementioned McVay, Kevin O’Connell, Matt LaFleur, Mike Macdonald, Dave Canales, and Liam Coen are examples of that.
Udinski got his career started in 2020 with the Carolina Panthers. He served there as a coaching assistant before joining O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings as an offensive assistant for the next three years.
He was reportedly instrumental in helping Sam Darnold turn his career around and lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record last season. That’s why Coen reached out to him and got him to the Jaguars to serve as their offensive coordinator. There, he brought out the best version we’ve seen of Trevor Lawrence to date.
The Browns might not have the most appealing opening in this coaching cycle. As such, they may not get to pick from the top tier of candidates. Even so, Grant Udinski is an intriguing choice for a team that’s also full of young players and might need some time to develop and go back to playoff contention.
And, if he’s a quarterback whisperer, he might be just right to figure out whether the Browns have something in Shedeur Sanders or not.
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