Getty Browns get bad news on head coaching search.
The Cleveland Browns opted to fire head coach Kevin Stefanski after six seasons.
Stefanski was Coach of the Year twice and led Cleveland to the playoffs twice. Yet, the team opted to go in a different direction, but the team may have a hard time finding a better coach to replace him.
Former NFL quarterback and now analyst Robert Griffin III believes the Browns coaching vacancy is the worst in the league. Meaning, the team will likely get the last pick of head coaches hired this offseason.
“The Cleveland Browns have the worst head coaching vacancy in the NFL by far, maybe even in NFL history for three reasons,” Griffin said on X. “The quarterback situation is absolutely atrocious. Deshaun Watson is coming off yet another injury. You owe him $46 million. So what are you going to do with him? Dillon Gabriel was your higher draft pick this past season. You got him sitting on the bench behind Shedeur Sanders, who most of the team wants to be the starter.
“Number two, it’s historically one of the most dysfunctional franchises in the league. Kevin Stefanski wanted Deshaun Watson as his quarterback, wanted him so bad he was willing to get rid of Baker Mayfield, who’s now the franchise quarterback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And, number three you now have to answer to a GM in Andrew Berry who’s put himself on the hot seat. The Cleveland Browns have only won eight games in the last two years.”
It’s a bold take from Griffin as he believes the Browns don’t have a lot going for them. Not only does he think it’s a dysfunctional franchise, but not having a true franchise quarterback can be a coach killer.
Who Have the Browns Interviewed?
Although Griffin believes the Browns’ head coaching opening is the worst in the league, the team has had some interviews.
The Browns interviewed Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde and Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher on Friday. Cleveland also interviewed their own coordinators, Tommy Rees and Jim Schwartz, on Thursday.
Although those are the only four that have officially interviewed, the team has shown interest in other candidates.
Cleveland has been linked to Mike McCarthy, Mike McDaniel, Jonathan Gannon, and John Harbaugh. But whether or not Cleveland will be able to land any of them is to be seen.
Cleveland is Open-Minded With Head Coach Search
With the Browns in need of a new head coach, the team is keeping all its options open.
General manager Andrew Berry said the team will be open-minded on candidates, as the team is open to coaches with head coaching experience or don’t.
“You know, we’ll be pretty open-minded,” Berry said on Monday. “I think there are a number of different archetypes of successful head coaches. I think about Kevin, I think it’s easy to forget now that he has, you know, two Coach of the Year awards on his mantle, that when he was interviewed first in 2019 and he didn’t get the job, and then again, I guess it was 2020 and he did.
“In both of those cycles, he had no head coaching experience, and we were the only team that interviewed him. And so, I think our responsibility is to search far and wide. There are good coaches out there. You know, we’ve just got to do our homework and find the right fit for us. We’ll have no preconceived notions as we go into the search.”
The Browns, for now, are beginning the interview search for the next head coach.
